Evolution and the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

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Evolution and the Second Law of Thermodynamics

For the past several years there has been an ongoing argument about how humankind and other animals have evolved.  One of the most controversial and debated topics is if the theory of evolution contradicts the Second Law of Thermodynamics; and also if the theory of evolution is in fact precise.  As well as contrasting the different beliefs of evolution, this paper will look at whether the theory of evolution is in contradiction to the Second Law of Thermodynamics.  As there are many arguments and standpoints about this topic, I will discuss both perspectives of the argument and then draw a conclusion based on the information presented.  

Evolutionists believe that all forms of life on earth today including humans have evolved and developed from single celled creatures and that for about the past 3.4 million years, small single-celled bacteria have developed into creatures with much more complexity.  Evolutionists also believe that all the living things on earth today are still evolving into different creatures, meaning that in the distant future, the creatures will have some resemblance to us, but they will have different structures.  Charles Darwin, a British scientist during the 19th century had some important backbone beliefs of evolutionists today, including the theory that man evolved from apes.  

On the other hand, creationists believe that all forms of life on existent earth today were in fact the creations and constructions of a supreme being - God.  Many of the worlds religions include accounts of creation, with different stories such as that of ‘Adam & Eve’.  The majority of the beliefs that creationists have, are derived from personal religious books, laws and beliefs.  Creationists have beliefs, which are opposing to the scientific understanding that the universe and life itself arose and embarked from the process of undirected physical development rather than by design.  

When conversing about the Second Law of Thermodynamics, matters get a little more intricate and fairly intense.  This universal law, which is also known as ‘the Law of Increasing Entropy’ is a very general, well acknowledged and undisputed law which describes basic principals familiar in everyday life.  Fundamentally, it is a law of decay, the ultimate cause of why everything eventually falls apart and disintegrates over a period of time.  Sooner or later, everything begins to change and entropy, or chaos increases.  Nothing will remain as new-fangled day one.  An example to illustrate and portray this concept - clothing; after a while, the colors begin to fade, and threads begin to loosen up.  This is an example of mounting entropy.  The Second Law of Thermodynamics also says that at anytime, when any work is done, some energy is mislaid.  For example, when using a blender, noise energy is lost or wasted since the main purpose is kinetic (for the blender to turn).  

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With the Law of Thermodynamics comes the idea of ‘entropy’, which is essential in understanding the Second Law of Thermodynamics.  Entropy is principally the amount of chaos, or disorder that exists in a system.  Earth is an ‘open system’ since it receives energy from the sun.  In an open system, entropy increases.  If energy is not added into a system, the energy that currently remains in the system becomes less efficient while the overall system becomes disorganized and chaos occurs.  An example could be a house.  If a house is not constantly take care of and cleaned up (add ...

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