Why Resist Entropy?

Entropy, in its most basic sense, is a measure of disorder or randomness in a system.

It is based on the observation that, in nature, things tend to move from a state of order to a state of disorder.

When shuffled, a neatly stacked deck of cards will become disordered; a house left unattended will become dusty and worn out; a living organism will slowly deteriorate and die, becoming dust and dirt.

This principle applies universally, from the way molecules arrange themselves in a substance to the large-scale processes of the universe. In every case, systems naturally evolve towards a state of higher entropy, where the elements within the system are more randomly distributed, creating mess, uncertainty, and ultimately chaos.

Critical thinking is an act of resistance to encroaching entropy. When we’re reasoning, we’re creating order out of the messy experience of life.

Resiting entropy is hard and takes a lot of energy, but we don’t have much choice. We either do it while we can, or we surrender early and become disorder ourselves.

Eventually, entropy will get us, we will die. But until then, we must resist it.

Articles in this blog will reflect this broad approach. I am a professor of critical thinking, and I am interested in preserving and creating order in the ways I think about the world.