On Thursday, April 24, 2014 10:59:45 AM UTC-4, Phil Hobbs wrote:   
      
      
   >   
   > Heat flows from hot to cold because in statistical mechanics, the ratio   
   >   
   > of the probabilities (basically the state densities) favours that   
   >   
   > direction by so large a factor that it's overwhelmingly probable that no   
   >   
   > vaguely macroscopic hot object has ever got hotter by spontaneous heat   
   >   
   > transfer from a colder object in the entire history of the universe.   
   >   
      
   > Dr Philip C D Hobbs   
      
   "Statistical mechanics" sounds complex and authoritarian, but it is just a way   
   to calculate gas laws, historically. But it gets violated every instant of time   
   - it's called Brownian Motion, and Einstein the first to examine it   
   theoretically.   
   To say that statistical mechanics precludes violating it is like saying, since   
   all electric currents in solid conductors cancel out, then manipulation of   
   electrons is impossible.   
   It's true, perpetual motion machines are to be treated with skepticism, but as   
   a point in the philosophy of science, there is no law that precludes them on   
   theoretical grounds.   
   Yet we "know"it's impossible. So - maybe the best approach is to "prove" why   
   not. But, as math is not science, statistics of macroscopic systems is not   
   enough. What is needed?   
   That's where Leo Szilard comes in, as the source of Shannon's work. Basically,   
   Einstein's pet said that a demon must know the trajectory of the molecule to   
   sort it and violate the 2nd law. That "know" = gain in negentropy =>   
   information as "entropy-stuff."   
   It was an attempt, in the 1950's, to bring information into the purvey of   
   classical physics. There were a number of conferences on "information theory,"   
   but its pretty much a seldom-used nomogram for communicatin engineers today.   
   I'm sure not everyone will agree with that assessment, but I will close with an   
   historical-social remark. Classical physics started, and then continued, a view   
   of the clock-work universe which man was separate from. So observations on the   
   planets and Newton portrayed a world which ran like a clock that did not need   
    winding.   
   Enter Quantum Mechanics. Suddenly man's choices, even mental choices and   
   consciousness itself, was mixed up with the world clock. Classical physics is   
   incorrect scientifically, psychologically, and socially. Information theory   
   was the old reductionist scientific approach attempting to put the genie back   
   in   
   the bottle.   
   Today, there still isn't a complete theory of physics and consciousness. It is   
   clear that many social problems come from treating man as a machine. But many   
   theoretical physicists today think as I have presented, and I talk with some of   
   them, resulting in tiresome posts like this. :)   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)