CHAPTER VI
SOLUTION OF THE PARADOX

We have seen that the second law of thermodynamics,
if pushed to its logical conclusion, leads to absurdities;
that, on the basis of the other physical laws, it is most
extremely improbable; and that it cannot have been
universal for all time past unless we assume some sort
of creation or some other form of miracle. On the con-
trary, we have seen that the probabilities from the
physical laws governing the motion of particles, which
are all reversible, and whose consequences must there-
fore be also reversible, lead us to the conclusion that,
though the universe as a whole will tend to be neutral
in that respect, yet, in certain limited portions of space
and time, the second law of thermodynamics represents
prevailing tendency. We may easily, therefore, sup-
pose that the portion of space and time under our ob-
servation (which, as we know, is very limited) is just
such a section, and that the second law of thermody-
namics represents a prevailing tendency of energy to
level down in our vicinity and in our epoch. This would
seem to be the only way leading out of the paradox
which seems to follow from the second law of ther-
modynamics; so that as this law is thus supposed to
be true only for a limited spoch, there is no necessity
to suppose any creation or other miracles; and there-
fore the rule for the universe is really reversible.
This would apparently solve our paradox, if not for
the fact that, according to this proposed solution, the
second law of thermodynamics would represent, not a
constant law, as observations would indicate, but, on
the contrary, merely a prevailing tendency, with a num-
ber of instances of reversals of that law in our own
part of space and time. Thus we find a difficulty in
accepting this soultion of the paradox, namely, that our
proposed solution requires that, even in our own section
of space and time, there must be many instances of the
reversal of the second law of thermodynamics; which
seems contrary to observed facts.
And yet, considering that the second law of ther-
modynamics itself leads to absurdities, it might be
worth while to inquire whether, after all, there might
not be in our portion of space and time certain instances
of the reversal of the second law, certain events with
what we have called a "negative tendency," which might
have escaped our attention.
In order to conduct this inquiry, we would have to
find some way to recognize such a reversal, should any
be found. This can be done in two ways: either by
translating, common occurrences into the reverse uni-
verse, and thus familiarising ourselves with how such
a reversal looks (a moving-picture outfit could easily
bring this reverse universe before the sense of sight,
by operating the reel backwards); or else we can reason
from the abstract second law itself and infer from its
reversal certain easily recognisable outstanding charac-
teristics. We shall proceed in both ways, starting with
the abstract method, then using the other method to
fill in, as it were, by way of illustration.
One characteristic of the second law of thermody-
namics is that there is, under it, a tendency that large
causes should produce smaller effects (some energy be-
coming lost always in spreading heat throughout the
universe), while small causes rarely, though occasion-
ally, produce large effects. Now since it is always
possible to regard any event either as caused by past con-
ditions (reasoning from cause to effect) or as being the
cause which will produce the conditions of the future
(reasoning from effect to cause), both cause and effect
of a given event being a determined thing, we may say
that, under the second law of thermodynamics, since
a given event is likely to have more visible causes and
less visible effects that itself, it follows that, under the
second law of thermodynamics, it is easier to explain
an event as the effect of past causes than as the cause
of future effects. In other words, under the second law
of thermodynamics, though reasoning from effect to
cause is possible, it is almost necessary to reason from
cause to effect, as the physical sciences usually do.
On the contrary, when we have the negative tend-
ency, when the second law of thermodynamics is re-
versed, the reverse is the case. Under the negative tend-
ency, energy is constantly being reclaimed from the enor-
mous heat-reserve which otherwise lies unused, and this
will be happening at every occurrence taking place under
the reversed second law. Thus the tendency in such a case
will be that, while occasionally large causes will pro-
duce smallers effects, yet as a general rule smaller causes
will produce larger effects. In other words, a given
event is most likely to have less visible causes and more
visible effects than itself, so that, if we try to explain an
event as the effect of past conditions, we shall always
have difficulty, because part of the cause in any case,
and sometimes even the entire cause, will consist merely
of diffused and undifferentiated energy which cannot
be observed unless we can keep track of every individual
particle of matter. But, on the contrary, if we try to
explain such an event as being the cause determined by
future conditions which are its effects, such as ex-
planation is simple, because the full effect is observable,
and the effect is usually more visible than the cause.
The result is that we get one distinguishing charac-
teristic of that reversal of the second law of thermody-
namics for which we are looking. If we find such a
reversal, we will, in all probability, be finding some sort
of events which it is easier to explain from the future
than from the past; in other words, we must, in looking
for such a reversal, look for something which, while it
acts under the ordinary form of causation like the com-
mon physical bodies, yet appears teleological in nature.
This teleology is only apparent, for causation under the
negative tendancy is no different from ordinary physical
causation. In causation in general, the reverse or
pseudo-teleological explanation is always possible, but
is more obvious in the case of a reversal than in the
ordinary case of positive tendency. Thus, when we
wish to fidn a reversal of the second law of thermody-
namics in our section of space and time, we must look
for phenomena with an appearance of teleology.
Another outstanding characteristic of a reversal of
the second law is the ability to use the immense store
of energy which, under the second law of thermody-
namics, is unavailable. In other words, a reversal, be-
sides the property of apparent teleology, must also pos-
sess the property of ability to use a store of reserve
energy, some which is always used, while at times
even all of it could theoretically be used and converted
into visible forms.
So we thus we get theoretically two outstanding charac-
teristics of the reversal for which we are looking;
namely, apparent teleology and the ability to use a fund
of reserve energy. If we can find anything in our

38

The Animate and the Inanimate

section of space and time which has these two proper-
ties, then in all probability we have found the reversal
for which we are looking.
Now, to take the more concrete method, that of ob-
serving the reverse universe, wither by reversing any
common occurence, or else in observation by reversing
a motion-picture-film, etc. We have already seen that
a reversal of such an incident as a ball rolling down a
flight of stairs becomes, in the reverse universe, the
following: the floor and the stairs successively throw
the ball up-stairs; the itself aids the process by
giving a jump, as it were, each time it lands. This
would give floor, stairs, and ball somewhat an appearance
of being alive. In fact, in any case, all ordinary physical
objects will act in the reverse universe somewhat as if
alive. Instead of rivers running down to sea, we
would have in the reverse universe the situation of sea-
water rejecting its slats and then jumping up the river-
channel to the source, where the water, separating it-
seld first into drops and then finally into molecules,
make a final jump up to the clouds; in other words, the
water is constantly jumping upwards, as though of its
own violation, and aided at each step by the ground push-
ing it upwards or even throwing it up. Herer again
there is an appearance of life in objects that we would
certainly, in our universe, consider as dead.
Take a more complicated instance: The behavior of
drops of mercury on a smooth surface, consisting, we
may suppose, partly of metal. These drops, in our uni-
verse, would roll around under the influence of any
external forces that may happen to be present, unite if
two happen to come together, and, in case they touch
metal, the drop will shrink and partly amalgamate with
the metal. In the reverse universe, on the contrary,
we have a diiferent arrangement: the drops will roll

Solution of the Paradox

39

around as before, but, in their rolling, will avoid the
pure metal surfaces, but will tend to roll over the
amalgam surfaces. When in contact with the amalgam,
they will extract the mercury, and thus the drops will
keep growing. When the drop grows in this manner
to a large size, there will appear a constriction, and
finally a division into two drops, each like the original.
This action of ordinary mercury drops in the reverse
universe corresponds in many details to the growth and
division of living cells in our universe.
In short, we may say that, in general, events in the
reverse universe appear as though they were living
phenomena; and the general events of the reverse uni-
verse may be taken as the type of negative phenomena,
of the reversal of the second law of thermodynaics.
We should thus expect, in the real universe, to find such
reversals in some sort of living or apparently living
phenomena. Furthermore, if we find in the reverse uni-
verse some phenomena that, contrary to what might be
expected, obey the second law o fthermodynamics, it
must follow that the corresponding phenomena in the
real universe must be precisely those reversals for which
we are looking.
Inasmuch as we have seen that ordinary inanimate
phenomena take on a appearance of life in the reverse
universe, let us see what becose of living phenomena
in the revse universe. Let us inject some sort of liv-
ing agency into any previous illustration of the reverse
universe. Suppose, in the case of the ball rolling down-
stairs, that it was orignally thrown by someone. The
beginning of the incident (which will correspond to
the end in the reverse universe) will consist of a human
arm starting to move, carrying the ball forward against
the resistance of the air, finally letting the ball go, after
which the ball, on the momentum thus acquired, pro-

40

The Animate and the Inanimate

ceeds to bounce down the stairs. In the reverse uni-
verse the ball properly aided by the floor and the stairs,
comes jumping upstairs into the hand; the ball, though
it tends to be speeded up by the air pushing the ball
along, and by the heat-energy of the ball similarly
reacting on the air, yet slows down quickly and finally
comes to a stop: the acquired momentum of the ball
moves the hand, swings the arm, and finally the molar
energy thuse transfered to the arm becomes transformed
into heat, and the arm stops. This very last part of the
incident is a rather unexpected case of the second law of
thermodynamics in the reverse universe; and we may
note, as a result, that the living body, when reversed,
becomes a mere obstacle instead of a moving force.
We may therefore conclude: first, that inanimate phe-
nomena, when reversed, become animate: second, that
animate phenomena, when reversed, lose the appearance
of animateion; and third, that animate phenomena, when
reversed, lose this appearance becuase, when reversed,
they tend to follow the second law of thermodynamics.
The logical conclusion from these would be: that
inanimate phenomena are positive tendencies, and follow the
second law of thermodynamics, while animate phenomena, on
the contrary, are negative tendencies and tend to reverse that
law. Thus we have found where our part of the universe
contains reversals, and come to a solution of our paradox.