Gnaiger 1994 BTK-62
Gnaiger E (1994) Negative entropy for living systems: controversy between Nobel Laureates Schrödinger, Pauling and Perutz. In: What is Controlling Life? (Gnaiger E, Gellerich FN, Wyss M, eds) Modern Trends in BioThermoKinetics 3. Innsbruck Univ Press: 62-70.  |
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Gnaiger Erich (1994) Innsbruck Univ Press
Abstract: Immediately after Erwin Schrödinger published his celebrated book 'What is Life?' [1], a controversy on the meaning and meaningfulness of negative entropy started [2]. Half a century later the debate is not settled. And the topic of the debate is not a minor one for science, entropy flow and entropy balance constituting one of the foundations of physical chemistry in general and biophysics in particular. Order and chaos, work and heat, information and dissipation are concepts intricately related to entropy as conceived by the statistical treatments of Boltzmann and Gibbs.
For the apparently impossible task to resolve this controversy we first have to clarify a remarkable phenomenon: A number of eminent scientists with a profound background in thermodynamics, physics and chemistry cannot reach agreement in a debate involving the most fundamental term in science - entropy. I can think of only three prepositions for such a controversy: (1) There exists a right or wrong solution. Then we must conclude that one or the other side in the debate simply does not understand the concept of entropy. This is a ridiculous supposition, forcing us to choose a different perspective. (2) The topic itself is not a closed issue. A number of half-truths might exist which have yet to be combined to a complete theory to resolve the disagreement - creating order from chaos. It would be an arrogation for classical thermodynamics to speculate that its fundamental entropy principle is incomplete! (3) Each side engaged in the controversy is fundamentally right and the topic is fundamentally settled. Nevertheless, if the conflicting parties do not use a common language they may debate about the same truth without agreement. Finding a common language would create order from order. To me this is the unpretentious interpretation of the 'negative entropy debate'.
In: Gnaiger E, Gellerich FN, Wyss M (1994) What is controlling life? 50 years after Erwin Schrödinger's What is life? Modern trends in BiothermoKinetics 3, Innsbruck Univ Press:336 pp. ISBN 10: 3901249176, ISBN 13: 9783901249174 - Open Access
• Bioblast editor: Gnaiger E • O2k-Network Lab: AT Innsbruck Oroboros
A living communication
- An updated version has been presented at the Third ICESHS, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 2008.
- Gnaiger E (2009) Open and closed systems: Styles of thinking explain controversies on the 'Negative Entropy' concept of Ludwig Boltzmann and Erwin Schrödinger. Third ICESHS, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 2008. »Open Access
- Gnaiger E (2024) Addressing the ambiguity crisis in bioenergetics and thermodynamics. MitoFit Preprints 2024.3. https://doi.org/10.26124/mitofit:2024-0003
Cited by
- Gnaiger E (2024) Addressing the ambiguity crisis in bioenergetics and thermodynamics. MitoFit Preprints 2024.3. https://doi.org/10.26124/mitofit:2024-0003
- Gnaiger E (2020) Mitochondrial pathways and respiratory control. An introduction to OXPHOS analysis. 5th ed. Bioenerg Commun 2020.2. https://doi.org/10.26124/bec:2020-0002
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HRR: Theory
BEC 2020.2, Gnaiger 2024 MitoFit
