4 ms·

The answer is literally the part after the comma you left out. Entropy maximization.

• ramblerman 8y ago
  > Ultimately patterns (atoms, cells, people, societies, whatever) organize by efficiency, by how well they reduce energy gradients across time. Reducing energy across time is just a rewording of efficiency. It's still not a goal in and of itself, at least not in the context of a society. Going to the moon was not reducing energy gradients across time, nor 'entropy maximization' as you have reworded it.
  • Radim 8y ago
    What makes you say that? Yes, it is a goal. In fact, it appears to be THE goal, whether our human perspective likes it or not. Societies follow the same optimization principles as everything else. If the topics of self-organization, similarity across scales and sustainability interest you, check out Geoffrey West's work at https://www.santafe.edu/people/profile/geoffrey-west https://www.santafe.edu/people/profile/geoffrey-west (among a lot of others).