From: ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de   
      
     . Here's a quotation from "Quora":   
      
   |The vacuum expectation value of the Higgs field is just the   
   |value that we would "expect" it to have when it is in its   
   |vacuum state, which is the state of lowest energy. It turns   
   |out that it is a general law of nature that physical systems   
   |always "want" to be in the state of lowest possible energy.   
   |The allowed values for the energy are determined by the   
   |system's potential energy function. In the case of the Higgs   
   |field, the potential function looks (more or less) like this   
      
     . My question is not about Higgs fields, but I'd like to focus   
     on this part:   
      
   |It turns out that it is a general law of nature that physical   
   |systems always "want" to be in the state of lowest possible   
   |energy.   
      
     . "Want" is not a very appropriate term in physics. But   
      
     - is there really such a law? And if so,   
      
     - how can one interpret this law in the way that the system   
       "wants" to be in the state of the lowest possible energy?   
      
     - If a system tries to get into a state of lowest energy,   
       the only place it can give its energy to is another system,   
       which also wants to get into a state of lowest energy . . .   
       So it seems that the two systems are in a fight, each one   
       trying to force its energy upon the other system then.   
       What determines which system wins this fight?   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)