Panentheism and Entropy
Because the universe is in a constant state of action, entropy would imply the universe is alive in the sense that it is constantly changing.
The universe is a heat exchange system. Action, change, occurs within our universe when heat is passed from place to place. The measure of the amount changed is entropy.
The whole orientation of this concept is simple. If things never change, they remain ‘permanent.’ The final state of the universe would be at the point heat is distributed evenly, ‘equally,’ throughout the universe. Combine these two ideas and you have ‘permanent equilibrium.’ As a simple example, if everything in our universe suddenly became the same temperature, then everything would be ‘frozen’ in place. There would be no heat exchange, therefore no change. Nothing would move. In this situation, nothing would decay, nothing would grow, everything would be the same. Everything would be in ‘permanent equilibrium’ today, tomorrow, forever.
We have never seen a permanent state of equilibrium in our universe. Our universe, and everything in it, appears to be undergoing constant change through growth or decay. Our universe is alive and vibrant.
Growth and decay will eventually stop as energy levels become the same throughout the universe. Change will eventually stop. If our universe is all there is, as atheists and pantheists believe, then our universe can die and with it, dies existence as we know it. This implies all the change, all the ‘work’ that occurred within it over the thousands upon thousands, millions upon millions, billions upon billions of years, will have had no meaning.
This does not seem logical. On the other hand, if something exists beyond our universe, the ‘thing’ outside itself would still exist. The significance the universe generated could possibly exist as long as the ‘thing’ outside existed. We refer to this ‘thing’ as the creator of this universe. We refer to this ‘thing’ as the Causative Force. Entropy implies three possible states of existence: growth, permanent equilibrium, decay. We have never observed the state of permanent equilibrium within our universe. Once our universe reaches the state of permanent equilibrium, entropy implies the universe would be ‘dead.’
The universe is a heat exchange system. Action, change, occurs within our universe when heat is passed from place to place. The measure of the amount changed is entropy.
The whole orientation of this concept is simple. If things never change, they remain ‘permanent.’ The final state of the universe would be at the point heat is distributed evenly, ‘equally,’ throughout the universe. Combine these two ideas and you have ‘permanent equilibrium.’ As a simple example, if everything in our universe suddenly became the same temperature, then everything would be ‘frozen’ in place. There would be no heat exchange, therefore no change. Nothing would move. In this situation, nothing would decay, nothing would grow, everything would be the same. Everything would be in ‘permanent equilibrium’ today, tomorrow, forever.
We have never seen a permanent state of equilibrium in our universe. Our universe, and everything in it, appears to be undergoing constant change through growth or decay. Our universe is alive and vibrant.
Growth and decay will eventually stop as energy levels become the same throughout the universe. Change will eventually stop. If our universe is all there is, as atheists and pantheists believe, then our universe can die and with it, dies existence as we know it. This implies all the change, all the ‘work’ that occurred within it over the thousands upon thousands, millions upon millions, billions upon billions of years, will have had no meaning.
This does not seem logical. On the other hand, if something exists beyond our universe, the ‘thing’ outside itself would still exist. The significance the universe generated could possibly exist as long as the ‘thing’ outside existed. We refer to this ‘thing’ as the creator of this universe. We refer to this ‘thing’ as the Causative Force. Entropy implies three possible states of existence: growth, permanent equilibrium, decay. We have never observed the state of permanent equilibrium within our universe. Once our universe reaches the state of permanent equilibrium, entropy implies the universe would be ‘dead.’
Only panentheism is capable of resolving the issue of life after death be it death of the individual or death of our physical universe for panentheism provides the rationale as to what we lie within even after the universe itself dies.
The universe lies within its Creator and as such once the universe winks out of existence, our true essence, the spark of the divine found within each and everyone of us simply finds itself once again reunited with it source, the Creator of the physical realm within which we presently find ourselves.
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