Entropy, Information, and Evolution

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Can recent advancements in thermodynamics and information theory provide solutions to the challenges facing evolutionary theory? This collection features sixteen original essays from experts in evolution, ecology, molecular biology, physical chemistry, physics, and philosophy, summarizing a developing research program. The first part includes contributions from Steven Frautschi, David Layser, and Dilip Kondoputi, focusing on the second law of thermodynamics as it relates to physical evolution and the origins of life. The second part features Lionel G. Harrison, Lionel Johnson, Eric D. Schneider, and Jeffrey S. Wicken, who discuss the thermodynamics of ecology and evolution, with Johnson and Wicken challenging neo-Darwinian views and proposing alternative theories linking thermodynamics to evolutionary ecology. In the third section, E. O. Wiley argues that phylogenetic evolution can be predicted using a reformulated version of the second law based on information theory, a stance supported by Daniel R. Brooks, D. David Cumming, and Paul H. LeBlond. The book concludes with essays that assess these contributions and their implications for biology, philosophy, and the social sciences. The editors, all professors at California State University, Fullerton, include Bruce H. Weber, David J. Depew, and James D. Smith.