How can I apply the "Entropy" concept if I'm talking about a social system?

Answer 1

Social systems will eventually dissolve, look at any civilization...Romans, British Empire, etc, etc. The all will eventually dissolve into chaos and turn to dust. The all pervasive 2nd Law knows no bounds, social systems, or civilizations. All we can do is temporarily stop the effects of entropy, but in the end, we will all be lost to oblivion.

Answer 2

As AnthonyPaul has pointed out that social systems are not physical and the concepts of "order" and "disorder" hold a different meaning from the view of physics clearly states that the question has not been answered. How is it then, that the Law of Entropy in Physics becomes a circumvention of the definitions describing the inherent properties of the law and its parts in relation to non-physical systems such as the Social Sciences which contain the same “like” properties?

Entropy – countable - A measure of the amount of information present within a system

Entropy – countable - A measure of disorder present within a system

Entropy – uncountable - The tendency of a system that is left to itself to descend into chaos

Entropy - computer science - A decentralized, peer-to-peer communication network designed to be resistant to censorship.

Do not feel alone, I am on this same quest for an answer to the question. What law in the Social Sciences uses these same principles and what is its name? I have written a 17 page essay that is useless because I am using the single word Entropy as the governing law behind the functioning mechanisms.

Answer 3

You can't.

Entropy refers to the tendency of physical systems to move from a state of order to one of disorder.

Social systems are not physical and the concepts of "order" and "disorder" hold a different meaning from physics. In addition life has (as a suggested definition) negative entropy removing it as a special case from the normal operation of the law.

Further, as you move up the scale from small to large scale system you need different concepts to describe it. "Heat", for example, only comes in to play once you have moved up from the molecular level and are looking at the the level of, for want of a better word, substances. Molecules do not have a temperature, a conglomeration of molecules such as a gaseous cloud does. Conversley a gas does not have "spin", but the sub-atomic particles that form the atoms that form the molecules that form the gas do.

Each and every molecule in your body will follow the law of entropy but YOU don't. The concept just doesn't operate on the level of you and certainly not at all at the level of a conglomeration of individuals such as a social system.

Answer 4

Yes, most definitely. The concept applies although all the thermodynamic equations will be useless.

The perversity of the universe tends toward the maximum.

This applies to phyics and to social systems. Chaos can occur spontaneously, order requires effort (work). Your room requires work to remain in order, and will evolve into a trash heap with no effort at all. Same rule applies to city streets, county roads and the interstate. Everything requires maintenance just to remain as it is and will fall apart if left unattended.

Without law enforcement, civilization will degenerate into chaos.

Answer 5

the homeless person on the doorstep in a society where there are clothing stores for pets.
the locked door on any house of worship.
the senior citizen forced to eat dog food for dinner.
the death of 1000's because they were prescribed vioxx.
the 4-letter graffiti on a wall.
the list goes on and on ; by ignoring the plights of others, thus do we increase entropy.

Answer 6

On the other hand, it could be said that sometimes there's to much order in a society. Sometimes traditions and manners are too fixed in people's minds, and it's the duty of the intellectual leaders to stir things a bit.