Notes on Constructal Dynamics

I’m writing this as the first in what I expect will be a series of short essays on the subject of constructal dynamics, and related themes of nature and human discovery.

By constructal dynamics, I mean the set of principles and rules by which everything in the universe flows and evolves over time. This subject is pretty big, which is why I’m opting to tackle it in bite-sized chunks.

This being the first post, I’m compelled to give a high level introduction with some background, and laying out key ideas to be considered in further essays.

In starting this journey, I hope to advance my own understanding, by teaching others what I am learning. This includes an understanding of constructal theory, in the context of contemporary physics, across classical and quantum domains. By connecting the dots between and across these distinct domains, I also hope to develop my own ideas, which I believe are direct implications of Adrian Bejan’s discovery.

Bejan expresses the constructal law as follows:

For a finite-size system to persist in time (to live), it must evolve in such a way that it provides easier access to the imposed currents that flow through it.

I first learned of constructal theory from Adrian Bejan himself, hearing him speak in 2012 of his then-recently published book, Design in Nature: How the Constructal Law Governs Evolution in Biology, Physics, Technology and Social Organizations.

Previously, I had been ‘physics curious.’ I enthusiastically read the popular books on the subject by leading contemporary physicists such as Stephen Hawking, Brian Greene, and a handful of other ‘popular science’ books for a general audience, as opposed to the serious science in post-doctoral research institutions. At the time, and for most of the time since, a great deal of focus in physics was string theory. But attempting to follow string theory did little to enlighten or inspire me. I remained interested, but uneducated and uninspired by contemporary physics. That changed when I first heard Dr. Bejan speak.

Bejan has since published other articles and books, including The Physics of Life: The Evolution of Everything and Freedom and Evolution: Hierarchy in Nature, Society and Science, and I have augmented Bejan’s writings with those of Feynman, Hawking, and the giants on whose shoulders they stood, going back to Newton, Kepler and Galileo.

I recognize that the constructal law remains somewhat obscure. There are reasons for this; a subject I will return to later. However, based on my studies to date, I do believe the constructal law plays a fundamental role in the physics of the universe. I believe it is at least as significant as the second law of thermodynamics. Indeed, while the second law is one of increasing entropy, the constructal law is anti-entropic. Yes, there is a law of increasing order, called the constructal law, and in the universe to date, order has significantly outpaced disorder. That said, the full body contemporary science continues to be published without awareness of how the constructal law relates, and implies a fundamental re-thinking of scientific theory.

If constructal theory holds, it must be reconciled with both quantum and classical mechanics, and as well as general relativity; and it must be expressed mathematically, and upheld experimentally. I believe this is possible. A little more scientifically, I haven’t seen anything yet that disproves or precludes a reconciliation of constructal and quantum theory. But there’s a long way to go, from here to there, and we’re just getting started.

Going forward, I’ll first go in to Bejan’s work in more depth, and hope to do it justice. I will also reference established theory in classical and quantum physics. I’ll highlight some of the most interesting things I’m learning as I read Feynman, Hawking, and the giants on whose shoulders they stood, going back to Newton, Kepler and Galileo. Ultimately, I hope to arrive at an experimental framework to quantify, predict, and test the role of constructal dynamics in forming structure in the natural world.

Please let me know if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions!

@jmullaly