Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal

Wayne Myrvold: A 2 Hour Deep Dive Into Entropy

26 snips
Sep 29, 2025
Guest
Wayne Myrvold
Wayne Myrvold, a philosopher of physics specializing in thermodynamics, joins the discussion to challenge common misconceptions about entropy. He reframes thermodynamics as a resource theory and clarifies that the second law does not presuppose entropy. Myrvold delves into topics such as Maxwell’s demon, the role of information as a resource, and how fluctuations impact Carnot efficiency. He also addresses the misleading notion of entropy equating to disorder and explores the implications of heat death on available energy.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
INSIGHT

Entropy Is Not A Single Concept

  • 'Entropy' names different related concepts; ask "which entropy?" before answering questions about it.
  • Clausius coined a thermodynamic entropy tied to the second law, but other entropies serve different purposes.
INSIGHT

Thermodynamics As A Resource Theory

  • Thermodynamics originated as a resource theory about extracting work from heat reservoirs.
  • Modern quantum thermodynamics rephrases thermodynamics as a resource theory about agents' goals and means.
INSIGHT

Entropy Requires The Second Law

  • Clausius defined thermodynamic entropy only after assuming a second-law statement about reversible cycles.
  • Thus thermodynamic entropy presupposes the second law rather than the second law presupposing entropy.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app