Sunday, July 23, 2006
The Resurrection and the Laws of Thermodynamics
Over at his blog, I noticed Peezee uncritically pimped this article by Natalie Angier, a "science reporter" for the New York Times. In reading her diatribe, the following stood out:
"Nor do the researchers wring their hands over the 80 percent who believe in the resurrection of Jesus, the laws of thermodynamics be damned."
Apparently, actually knowing science is not a prerequisite for reporting on it. Here are the laws of thermodynamics in their various formulations:
As you can see, there is nothing that pertains to the Resurrection in those laws. In fact, her statement reminds me of the old creationist claim that the 2nd law of thermodynamics rules out evolution.
I previously established that Peezee can't count, and since he pimped this article without reservation or objection I must conclude that he is inept when it comes to thermodynamics as well. (This comes as no surprise, given the developmental biology bull**** he concerns himself with.)
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"Nor do the researchers wring their hands over the 80 percent who believe in the resurrection of Jesus, the laws of thermodynamics be damned."
Apparently, actually knowing science is not a prerequisite for reporting on it. Here are the laws of thermodynamics in their various formulations:
0. If two systems are separately in thermal equilibrium with a third system, they are in equilibrium with each other.
1. The heat supplied is equal to the increase in internal energy of the system plus the work done by the system. Energy is conserved if heat is taken into account.
2. It is impossible to construct a device that operates in a cycle and whose sole effect is to transfer heat from a cooler body to a hotter body. (Clausius)
It is impossible to construct a device that operates in a cycle and produces no other effect than the performance of work and the exchange of heat with a single reservoir. (Kelvin-Planck)
3. All reactions in a liquid or solid in thermal equilibrium take place with no change of entropy in the neighborhood of absolute zero. (Nernst)
The entropy of a true equilibrium state of a system at absolute zero is zero. (Planck)
It is impossible to reduce the temperature of a system to absolute zero using a finite number of processes.
As you can see, there is nothing that pertains to the Resurrection in those laws. In fact, her statement reminds me of the old creationist claim that the 2nd law of thermodynamics rules out evolution.
I previously established that Peezee can't count, and since he pimped this article without reservation or objection I must conclude that he is inept when it comes to thermodynamics as well. (This comes as no surprise, given the developmental biology bull**** he concerns himself with.)
# posted by O'Brien @ 7/23/2006 10:03:00 PM 
