Abstract
Free energy, the ability to do work, is the most universal currency known in the natural sciences. In an expanding, non-equilibrated Universe, it is free energy that drives order from disorder, from big bang to humankind, in good accord with the second law of thermodynamics and leading to the production of entropy. On all scales, from galaxies and stars to planets and life, the rise of complexity over the course of natural history can be uniformly quantified by analyzing the normalized flow of energy through open, non-equilibrium, thermodynamic systems.
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Chaisson, E.J. 2 Non-equilibrium Thermodynamics in an Energy-Rich Universe. In: Kleidon, A., Lorenz, R.D. (eds) Non-equilibrium Thermodynamics and the Production of Entropy. Understanding Complex Systems. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/11672906_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/11672906_2
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Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-22495-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-32359-4
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