The Poetry of Thermodynamics. Energy, Entropy/Exergy and Quality.

In the recent years the concepts of new thermodynamics have been used to achieve a synthesis of various facets of complex systems, including the physical, ecological and economic. A recent issue of Futures magazine was devoted to this theme. Here, we futher develop this work, distinguishing among systems that are simple, complex and reflexive. We suggest that as Energy mainly characterises the state of simplicity, and Entropy/Exergy that of complexity, there is a third property, which we will call Quality, mainly characterising reflexivity. With Quality we make explicit the connection between the disciplined study of thermodynamics and its poetry.

FUNTOWICZ Silvio O.;  RAVETZ Jerome R.; 

Funtowicz S, Ravetz J. The Poetry of Thermodynamics. Energy, Entropy/Exergy and Quality.. Futures 29 (9); 1997. p. 791-810. JRC15299

1997-08-18

JRC15299