"Thermoeconomics": Time to move beyond the second law.
The term "thermoeconomics" denotes a paradigm shift in our understanding of the role of energy in living systems, and in evolution. It is based on the proposition that energy in biological evolution can best be defined and understood, not in terms of the Second Law of Thermodynamics but in terms of such economic criteria as productivity, efficiency, and especially the costs and benefits (or "profitability") of various mechanisms for capturing and utilizing energy to build biomass and do work. Thus, thermoeconomics is fully consistent with contemporary evolutionary theory. Functional criteria provide a better explanation of the advances (and recessions) in bioenergetic technologies in evolution than does any formulation derived from the Second Law.
['Corning|Peter A|PA|']
D000818:Animals D005075:Biological Evolution D001695:Biology D018533:Biomass D001703:Biophysics D000458:Cyanobacteria D004467:Economics D049673:History, 20th Century D006801:Humans D008962:Models, Theoretical D013816:Thermodynamics
Second law Evolution Economics Bioenergetics Entropy