International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics

It is generally assumed that "order" corresponds to a "diminution of entropy", through the incorporation of material, energetic and/or informative inputs into a system. While this may be true in the sense that the system may thus maintain its internal organization or even increase it by dissipative structuration, global entropy is effectively increasing.

R. SWENSON accordingly stated that: "Order produces entropy faster than disorder" (1989, p.125). Or better, more order produces entropy faster than less order.

F. ROBB explains it in the following way: "Entropy production is much accelerated when a new higher order entity emerges from lower order interaction, and, where conditions in the field permit. This is the preferred route to be selected for the maximization of the rate of entropy production. The emergence of a new entity constraint the microscopic interactions in the field whence it emerged. For a new entity of a higher order to emerge there must be (1) circular relations of mutual causal processes, (2) enough free energy to sustain these processes, and (3) the conditions in the arena of the microscopic interactions, its configuration and the presence of adjacent higher order entities, must allow such processes to proceed: there must be room for emergence" (1993, p.1).

If these conditions exist: "… then the emergent entity which can produce the maximum entropy is preferentially selected from all others afforded by the constraints present in the field" (1990, p.392).

This is perfectly coherent with PRIGOGINE's thermodynamics of open systems faraway from equilibrium.

These concepts seem to be the basic explicative key to human evolution if one considers the two following complementary aspects:

1) Since the appearance of man, evermore complex social forms of organization did emerge and this trend is constantly accelerating since about 200 years ago;

2) This phenomenon is matched at the same time by an exponentially growing use of energy and an also accelerating global entropization of the planetary environment.

One wonders if this is a runaway process and where it will lead us: to global disaster or to a Meta-System Transition (TURCHIN)?