Ontological Thermodynamics

Thermodynamics governs matter in the physical realm. Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but can be arranged in more or less useful sequences. Without an external factor, however, these arrangements to progress towards less and less useful forms. However, with an external input of energy, these forms can progress toward more and more useful sequences. An example would be an airplane. On a disaggregated atomic level, there is no real difference between an aircraft engine and a pile of rocks rich in various metallic ores. However, an engine is a far more useful sequencing of these elements. This comes about due to an influx of energy in the form of creativity, a force transcendent to matter, and hence capable of shaping matter. Without such an influx of energy to create or maintain, this sequence of matter would decay into less and less useful forms, breaking and rusting. It will not spontaneously improve. Given that the Author of matter is the Author of ideas, the same dynamics should hold.

1) First Law of Thermodynamics: Enthalpy. Energy is neither created nor destroyed. Ontological Enthalpy: Ideas are neither created nor destroyed. Predicate: Matter/Ideas came from somewhere, if they are here now. Imperative: All ideas have their origin in the mind of God. 'There is nothing new under the sun.' We cannot construct an idea that does not derive its origin from the mind of God. An idea can be corrupted, and lose parts of that essence, but at the point that it loses all of that essence, it ceases to meaningfully exist. 'Sin leads to death.' All the building blocks of concepts, all the atoms of ideas, can neither be created nor destroyed, as they came into meaningful existence (for us) at the point of creation, and before that existed in the mind of God.

2) Second law of thermodynamics: entropy. Energy flows from more useful forms to less useful forms, unless there is an influx of energy from outside the system. (Note: In terms of physics, what else would transcendence mean, if not 'from outside the system?') Idea form: Ideas flow from a more useful arrangement to a less useful arrangement, unless an external influx of energy exists.

Predicate: More and less useful arrangements of ideas/matter exist. Therefore, the creation of 'new' ideas is more the arrangement of more useful sequences of ideas. Given that the growth of knowledge is a function of expanding relationships between pieces of data, the growth of these relational networks leads to an expansion of knowledge (see discovery.) Similarly to physical entropy, the creation of more useful sequences of ideas is a function of a transcendent influx. Without such an influx, these sequences of ideas will degenerate over time, but with external energy, these ideas will build into more and more useful forms, establishing progress.

Example: Rule of Law is a combination of the ideas of government, objectivity and truth, all of which can be found in the mind of God. It is a more useful combination when applied to politics than the original ideas alone (just as a jet engine is much more useful for aviation propulsion than ore-laden rocks, but not necessarily more useful for grinding wheat.) Eugenics is a particularly un-useful (and virulent) combination of the ideas of optimization and diversity, where the base concepts can be found in the mind of God, even if the combination flawed form cannot.

Corrolary: In a fallen, post-entropic world, a cycle of death and rebirth is necessary to prevent stagnation. Angular sinusoidal motion and cycles are the only ways to present eternal dynamic tension. It must, in effect, cascade to be within time.

See Chesterton: What is wrong with this world is Christian morals run amok without any grounding. (Orcs are bad elves.)