The first law of thermo dynamics is basically conservation of energy. The second law is a little more subtle, and it's that this quantity called entrope is something that can never decrease in a closed system. And so why do you need to be that aware? Cause all the incentive structures are built around kind of a continuanceye,. i mean, i got paid a good salary to shoot lazers at the moon and write papers about it, and i was knowledgeable on that, that would be a pretty good deal. So unfortunately, the story that you and i spend a lot of time delving into is not a pleasant, a happy one because we're looking at two or three
On this episode, we meet with Professor of Physics at UCSD and the Associate Director of CASS, the Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, Tom Murphy.
Murphy shows us how continued growth and energy use is an impossibility if continued at our current trajectory. How does physics constrain our planetary ambitions? Murphy helps us do the math.
To help us align with a post-growth trajectory, Murphy offers suggestions for how humans can begin to treat nature as well as we treat ourselves — and why we must care about the future in order to create a brighter one.
About Thomas Murphy
Thomas Murphy is a Professor in the Physics Department at UCSD, the Associate Director of CASS, the Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, and is the author of Energy and Human Ambitions on a Finite Planet.
From 2003–2020, Murphy led the APOLLO project as an ultra-precise test of General Relativity using the technique of lunar laser ranging. Professor Murphy’s interests are transitioning to quantitative assessment of the challenges associated with long-term human success on a finite planet.
For Show Notes and Transcript visit: https://www.thegreatsimplification.com/episode/18-tom-murphy