Logo - Feel The Words

Entropy Quotes

How thinkers describe the pull toward disorder.

Entropy gets defined here as a steady tendency toward Chaos, but also as a theory that struggles to explain structure rather than just randomness. These quotes sit at the edge of physics and form.

'Entropy' broadly means tending towards chaos constantly.

Quotes by Sid Sriram

Entropy theory, on the other hand, is not concerned with the probability of succession in a series of items but with the overall distribution of kinds of items in a given arrangement.

Quotes by Rudolf Arnheim

Entropy theory is indeed a first attempt to deal with global form; but it has not been dealing with structure. All it says is that a large sum of elements may have properties not found in a smaller sample of...

Quotes by Rudolf Arnheim

We could not, for example, arrive at a principle like that of entropy without introducing some additional principle, such as randomness, to this topography.

Quotes by Michael Polanyi

Additional Quotes

I'm a human entropy producer.

Quotes by Dean Kamen

Only entropy comes easy.

Anton Chekhov

If we assume there is no maximum possible entropy for the universe, then any state can be a state of low entropy.

Quotes by Alan Guth

Frequently Asked Questions

How do these quotes define entropy?
One describes it broadly as a steady pull toward chaos, while others treat it as a formal theory requiring extra principles like randomness to make sense.
Is entropy theory only about disorder?
Not quite. One quote insists entropy theory struggles with structure specifically, not just chaos, focusing more on overall distribution than pure randomness.
What's the difference between entropy and probability of succession?
One quote draws this exact distinction, saying entropy theory cares about the overall distribution of item types in an arrangement, not the order they occur in.
Why do these quotes mention topography?
One argues that arriving at a principle like entropy requires introducing something extra, such as randomness, to that underlying topography or landscape of ideas.
Are these quotes scientific or philosophical?
They sit somewhere between both, treating entropy as a concept worth exploring through Chaos as much as through formal theory.

One idea recurs: a large collection of elements can behave in ways no smaller sample would predict. It's a reminder that entropy theory stays concerned with distribution, not just succession, in any given arrangement.