Surplus, Luxury Functions, and Signaling

Howard Bloom is an author, scientist, and former music industry publicist, who argues that entropy has been disastrously misapplied as a universal law across physics, cosmology, biology, information theory, and culture. In this episode we explore how a concept that was initially formulated in context of steam engines was used to create a story of universe doomed from the start, and explore Bloom’s radical alternative: that the universe — from atoms to galaxies, evolution to economics, music to technology — is not destined for collapse, but driven toward order, complexity, creativity, and flamboyant progress.PATREON https://www.patreon.com/c/demystifysciPARADIGM DRIFThttps://demystifysci.com/paradigm-drift-showOUR HOMEBREWED MUSICCheck out our band's new album:https://secretaryofnature.bandcamp.com/album/everything-is-so-good-hereVinyl pre-orders available now: https://buy.stripe.com/14A5kC3Od5d21Ms7zPdEs0900:00 Go! Welcome to the entropy cult00:08:01 The false god of entropy00:16:00 Do you buy the Big Bang miracle thing?00:20:01 The universe's complexity00:23:23 Entropy and atomic limitations00:24:28 The birth of complexity in the universe00:29:12 The role of learning and perspective in science00:34:04 The complexity of life vs. entropy00:39:10 Eternal patterns and the emergence of life00:43:17 The transformation of life and death00:48:10 Transformation and time in science00:50:00 Failures of prediction in science00:54:05 Universalization and metaphors in physics00:57:03 Information theory vs. entropy01:00:35 Technology, culture, and metaphors01:05:50 Flamboyance in art and science01:11:47 The evolution of music and flamboyance01:19:02 Surplus and the pursuit of impossible goals01:22:02 The influence of music and the quest for ecstasy01:30:11 Crafting authentic artistic representations01:34:25 The commercialization of podcasts and media01:35:19 Advertising vs. soul in art01:41:17 Empowerment through artistic expression01:47:03 Exploring creativity vs. conformity01:52:34 The role of artists in cultural evolution01:56:44 Transitioning from music industry to science01:57:39 Coping with illness and energy management02:00:14 The acceptance of group selection02:04:32 The Lucifer Principle and its themes02:07:49 Nature's duality and human experience02:10:03 Flamboyance and creativity in nature02:12:34 Dreams of paradise and future aspirations02:16:54 Challenging apocalyptic narratives02:19:48 The appeal of apocalyptic beliefs02:21:26 The transformation of early Christianity02:23:01 Science, spirit, and creative expression02:27:11 Science and human purpose02:30:45 Future endeavors and cosmic understanding#entropy, #astrophysics , #thermodynamics , #informationtheory , #physics #cosmology, #complexity , #bigbang, #cosmicorder #philosophypodcast , #sciencepodcast, #longformpodcastMERCH: Rock some DemystifySci gear : https://demystifysci.myspreadshop.com/allAMAZON: Do your shopping through this link: https://amzn.to/3YyoT98DONATE: https://bit.ly/3wkPqaDSUBSTACK: https://substack.com/@UCqV4_7i9h1_V7hY48eZZSLw@demystifysci RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/2be66934/podcast/rssMAILING LIST: https://bit.ly/3v3kz2S SOCIAL: - Discord: https://discord.gg/MJzKT8CQub- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DemystifySci- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DemystifySci/- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DemystifySciMUSIC: -Shilo Delay: https://g.co/kgs/oty671