Publication Cover
Communicatio
South African Journal for Communication Theory and Research
Volume 7, 1981 - Issue 1
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Original Articles

Thermodynamics in social perspective

Pages 32-37 | Published online: 04 Dec 2007
 

Abstract

The rationale behind this discussion is an attempt to apply the basic principles of thermodynamics to the operations of social systems. Since the second law of thermodynamics was critized by Maxwell and his colleagues, the notion of entropy was introduced as being similar to the idea of uncertainty. In this paper I will try to explain how uncertainty can be removed to a certain extent by information-flow through a system, provided that one should consider the flow of information as that which does logical work to the recipient's state of readiness and that evolution can only take place in systems which operate on a certain level of openness.

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