Environment & Energy

NNadir

(38,572 posts)

23. You lost me when you attached the second law of thermodynamics to, um...

Tue Mar 15, 2016, 09:13 PM

Mar 2016

..."neoliberal capitalism," whatever "neoliberal capitalism" is supposed to be. (Don't tell me, I really don't want to know.)

As a person for whom a good part of my life involved the second law of thermodynamics - as amusing as the the continuous attempts to legislate it away have been - I have to say that it's a law of physics, not a law of so called "political science." It's a beautiful and elegant law, but it's purely mathematical physics, and nothing else.

To paraphrase Feynman, "'social sciences" do not make laws," In my view of history, any attempt to attach the laws of physical science to "social concepts" has been, and is, at best specious, at worst, dangerous. Only the attempt to attach biological laws to social science has been worse, at least where the laws of natural selection are concerned.

Have a nice day tomorrow.

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In Just 60 Years, Neoliberal Capitalism Has Nearly Broken Planet Earth [View all] GliderGuider Mar 2016 OP

Oligarchy capitalism is killing our two most valuable resources: the planet and the people on it. nt JFKDem62 Mar 2016 #1

WWII and the Cold War were fought to decide whose system would get to wreck the planet. GliderGuider Mar 2016 #4

Once humans are extinct, the planet will recover. I wonder how many times humans have done this? JFKDem62 Mar 2016 #9

dude, this is the first time it is the fault of humans Viva_La_Revolution Mar 2016 #16

The biosphere is coming to an end. Earth will be out of the habitable zone in about 800 million DhhD Mar 2016 #45

a few incremental tweaks around the edges should do the trick tk2kewl Mar 2016 #2

Just need to build on the ACA / FlatBaroque Mar 2016 #6

Fund Planned Parenthood pscot Mar 2016 #21

But but EEEvil Guverment Regulations are Killing Jobs! n/t n2doc Mar 2016 #3

I fully agree Dragonfli Mar 2016 #5

Done! And thanks for asking! nt GliderGuider Mar 2016 #8

Thank YOU! people need to understand we are actually facing extermination and neo-liberalism Dragonfli Mar 2016 #11

Yes, I know about it. GliderGuider Mar 2016 #12

"Oh, we won't go extinct. Our big brains will save us." CrispyQ Mar 2016 #13

This world has witnessed and endured several extinction level events, planets do not care about Dragonfli Mar 2016 #15

Based on our experiences with Biosphere I and II GliderGuider Mar 2016 #17

Thanks for the input, I instinctively doubted we could accomplish it successfully, but with what you Dragonfli Mar 2016 #18

I knew a woman who crewed the second Biosphere II mission GliderGuider Mar 2016 #19

Wasn't one of the main problems the concrete taking up oxygen from the atmosphere? hatrack Mar 2016 #22

Close. Here's a description of the problems they had GliderGuider Mar 2016 #27

Apples and Oranges. Ghost Dog Mar 2016 #30

I was commenting on Dragonfli's reference to closed environments. GliderGuider Mar 2016 #33

Yes, I understand, Paul. Ghost Dog Mar 2016 #38

Yes, I think you're probably right about that. GliderGuider Mar 2016 #39

Yes, I think the new feudal overlords will attempt this: Ghost Dog Mar 2016 #31

The Human infestation will be short-lived StandingInLeftField Mar 2016 #7

That's what it looks like. nt GliderGuider Mar 2016 #10

This gets me in the gut. SusanCalvin Mar 2016 #14

Me too, and I'm 61 years old. Ghost Dog Mar 2016 #32

63, almost 64 here. SusanCalvin Mar 2016 #35

I've been trying to digest this information for 12 years now GliderGuider Mar 2016 #36

I'd also add that much of this was done in the name of anticapitalism MisterP Mar 2016 #20

You lost me when you attached the second law of thermodynamics to, um... NNadir Mar 2016 #23

We have different worldviews? I'm stunned. GliderGuider Mar 2016 #24

Well shriveled is a hard word. NNadir Mar 2016 #25

It has been an enormously useful concept for me. GliderGuider Mar 2016 #26

No offense taken. NNadir Mar 2016 #37

Neoliberal Capitalism and the Second Law GliderGuider Mar 2016 #40

I'm not generally reported as being "civil." That's a new one, but thanks... NNadir Mar 2016 #41

Fortunately the world has room enough for both scientists and philosophers. GliderGuider Mar 2016 #42

Well then, given the clearer perspective on our "philosophical" differences, may I suggest... NNadir Mar 2016 #43

Well said. I think I know what you mean about seeing. GliderGuider Mar 2016 #44

So my husband emails me a link to this, says Bigmack Mar 2016 #28

Humans just don't do limits. GliderGuider Mar 2016 #29

Because we use our minds The2ndWheel Mar 2016 #34