Peace/Shalom.
Part 3 of: Response to cleric Ali Sistani and his quote from Ali Al-Korani refuting evolution based on the second law of thermodynamics and entropy:
(Ali Sistani is the highest ranked Shia cleric in Iraq and Al-Korani is another famous Shia cleric.)
Shia scholar Ahmed al-Hasan responds to them in his book:
He says:
"3. In summary, they quote from Korani’s book that: entropy requires complex systems to move toward collapse and that the entire universe, the earth, and everything on the earth are all moving toward collapse. According to them, there is relapse and regression rather than evolution. They conclude:
"Therefore, the hypothesis of evolution opposes science to its core. Evolution toward something better cannot occur in a world that moves toward disintegration and destruction in all its activities, movements, and changes, so evolution is scientifically impossible: {Nay, but We hurl the true against the false, and it destroys it and it vanishes. And woe to you from what you describe}" 21:18.
In fact, this argument was first proposed by Dr. Henry Morris, who said that the second law of thermodynamics states that everything tends toward disorder, making the process of evolution impossible (Morris 1974).
The fundamentalist Christians in the United States and Europe latched onto this argument to respond to the theory of evolution. Some Arabs rehashed this argument after it was translated, and an associate of Korani’s relayed it. Instead of leaving it as it was, he added words to it that reveal complete ignorance. Eventually, Korani took it and put it in his book. The Belief website belonging to Sistani then quoted Korani and adopted it as fact, using it as evidence for refuting the theory of evolution.
Generally speaking, the argument above is scientifically insignificant, incomplete, and incorrect. As we shall see later, observational findings widely accepted by science today have demonstrated that the universe is flat, open, and expanding at an accelerating rate. Nevertheless, let us drop to their level and assume that the physical universe is a closed system to which the second law of thermodynamics applies—since entropy does not decrease within a closed system—and let us assume that entropy is increasing in the universe. This does not mean that every part of the universe is moving toward increased entropy. It is possible for parts of the universe (that we have assumed to be a closed system) such as the earth, to head toward a more orderly state, at times, as long as it is balanced by other parts heading toward increased entropy. What is key is that the system as a whole does not violate the second law of thermodynamics. This reveals that their argument is built on a weak foundation and a superficial understanding of the second law of thermodynamics.
Moreover, the earth itself is not a closed system. There is actually more than one energy exchange system existing within it, and there are systems that exchange with it. For example, the sun gives heat and light to the earth, and parts of the earth experience night and day successively. This divides it into several systems, causing it to go through a variable and continuous process of heat exchange because there are a number of systems, rather than just one. In addition to this, because the earth’s core is hot and consists of magma, there are unorganized processes of energy exchange occurring between the core, crust, and atmosphere of the earth.
The space surrounding the earth is also a system, and heat exchange occurs between it and the earth.
The moon’s gravity also affects the earth. This effect changes over time, because the moon is continuously moving further away from the earth.
Based on the state of the earth as described above, the law of thermodynamics for two systems is that their total entropy does not decrease when heat exchange occurs between them. This means that increasing order on the earth is possible due to the energy exchange between it and the surrounding universe. Similarly, it is also possible for order to increase in some regions of the earth, since several systems exchange energy with each other. What matters is that the total entropy of both systems—not just one—does not decrease.
The earth itself is neither a closed system nor a single system. Rather, it is comprised of multiple systems. There is no problem with entropy increasing in one place on the earth and decreasing in another, nor is there a problem with the deterioration of life, destruction, earthquakes, and floods occurring in one place on the earth, while at the same time construction, growth, and the flourishing of life occur in another. This is something we witness every day, and it does not violate the second law of thermodynamics."
from book - The Atheism Delusion
by Ahmed Alhasan
Part 3 of: Response to cleric Ali Sistani and his quote from Ali Al-Korani refuting evolution based on the second law of thermodynamics and entropy:
(Ali Sistani is the highest ranked Shia cleric in Iraq and Al-Korani is another famous Shia cleric.)
Shia scholar Ahmed al-Hasan responds to them in his book:
He says:
"3. In summary, they quote from Korani’s book that: entropy requires complex systems to move toward collapse and that the entire universe, the earth, and everything on the earth are all moving toward collapse. According to them, there is relapse and regression rather than evolution. They conclude:
"Therefore, the hypothesis of evolution opposes science to its core. Evolution toward something better cannot occur in a world that moves toward disintegration and destruction in all its activities, movements, and changes, so evolution is scientifically impossible: {Nay, but We hurl the true against the false, and it destroys it and it vanishes. And woe to you from what you describe}" 21:18.
In fact, this argument was first proposed by Dr. Henry Morris, who said that the second law of thermodynamics states that everything tends toward disorder, making the process of evolution impossible (Morris 1974).
The fundamentalist Christians in the United States and Europe latched onto this argument to respond to the theory of evolution. Some Arabs rehashed this argument after it was translated, and an associate of Korani’s relayed it. Instead of leaving it as it was, he added words to it that reveal complete ignorance. Eventually, Korani took it and put it in his book. The Belief website belonging to Sistani then quoted Korani and adopted it as fact, using it as evidence for refuting the theory of evolution.
Generally speaking, the argument above is scientifically insignificant, incomplete, and incorrect. As we shall see later, observational findings widely accepted by science today have demonstrated that the universe is flat, open, and expanding at an accelerating rate. Nevertheless, let us drop to their level and assume that the physical universe is a closed system to which the second law of thermodynamics applies—since entropy does not decrease within a closed system—and let us assume that entropy is increasing in the universe. This does not mean that every part of the universe is moving toward increased entropy. It is possible for parts of the universe (that we have assumed to be a closed system) such as the earth, to head toward a more orderly state, at times, as long as it is balanced by other parts heading toward increased entropy. What is key is that the system as a whole does not violate the second law of thermodynamics. This reveals that their argument is built on a weak foundation and a superficial understanding of the second law of thermodynamics.
Moreover, the earth itself is not a closed system. There is actually more than one energy exchange system existing within it, and there are systems that exchange with it. For example, the sun gives heat and light to the earth, and parts of the earth experience night and day successively. This divides it into several systems, causing it to go through a variable and continuous process of heat exchange because there are a number of systems, rather than just one. In addition to this, because the earth’s core is hot and consists of magma, there are unorganized processes of energy exchange occurring between the core, crust, and atmosphere of the earth.
The space surrounding the earth is also a system, and heat exchange occurs between it and the earth.
The moon’s gravity also affects the earth. This effect changes over time, because the moon is continuously moving further away from the earth.
Based on the state of the earth as described above, the law of thermodynamics for two systems is that their total entropy does not decrease when heat exchange occurs between them. This means that increasing order on the earth is possible due to the energy exchange between it and the surrounding universe. Similarly, it is also possible for order to increase in some regions of the earth, since several systems exchange energy with each other. What matters is that the total entropy of both systems—not just one—does not decrease.
The earth itself is neither a closed system nor a single system. Rather, it is comprised of multiple systems. There is no problem with entropy increasing in one place on the earth and decreasing in another, nor is there a problem with the deterioration of life, destruction, earthquakes, and floods occurring in one place on the earth, while at the same time construction, growth, and the flourishing of life occur in another. This is something we witness every day, and it does not violate the second law of thermodynamics."
from book - The Atheism Delusion
by Ahmed Alhasan
