Entropy and Time

 “In a closed system, entropy never decreases.” Second Law of Thermodynamics

Order does not arise spontaneously. Creating and maintaining order requires energy. This is why time has a direction. Ice melts. Cups shatter. Things age. All these are processes in which entropy increases. Entropy is therefore often called the “arrow of time.”

Entropy is a central concept in physics and, in simplified terms, describes the degree of disorder or the number of possible states of a system. The second law of thermodynamics states that, in a closed system, entropy increases over time. Order does not emerge on its own but gradually decays into more disordered states. This principle applies not only to physical systems such as gases or heat processes, but also provides a profound perspective on biological processes—particularly aging.

Living organisms are highly ordered systems. Cells possess complex structures, biochemical processes are precisely regulated, and genetic information is stored with remarkable accuracy. This order, however, is not self-sustaining. It must be continuously maintained, as damage constantly arises from metabolic processes, environmental influences, radiation, and random molecular errors. Repair mechanisms such as DNA repair, protein degradation, and cell division counteract this ongoing tendency toward disorder.

Crucially, no repair system is perfectly efficient. Over time, small errors accumulate. Proteins lose their correct folding, mutations remain unrepaired, and cellular functions decline. This gradual increase in internal disorder can be understood as a rise in entropy within the organism. Aging is therefore not a single event, but a continuous process in which maintaining order becomes increasingly difficult.

It is important to emphasize that living beings are not closed systems. Through nutrition, respiration, and energy intake, they can locally reduce entropy. This reduction is compensated for by an increase in entropy in the surrounding environment. A plant absorbs light energy and builds sugars and cellular structures, thereby reducing local entropy. At the same time, it releases heat, carbon dioxide, and water vapor, increasing entropy in its surroundings. Life exists fully within the constraints of the second law of thermodynamics.

Aging means that an open system gradually loses the capacities that counteract the natural tendency toward disorder. Death ultimately marks the point at which the maintaining order collapses and the system transitions into a state of maximal entropy increase.

In this sense, aging can be understood as a physically inevitable, yet biologically modifiable struggle against entropy.

To continue with our conceptual framework - Mythic Lineage and Narrative Reminiscence

Edinburgh derives from the Celtic Din Eidyn. In the Middle Ages, this was the name of a fortified settlement of the Gododdin. The Gododdin were a Brittonic people, expansive and militarily capable enough between the 5th and 7th centuries to maintain their own territory. They built a fort on Castle Rock. Their lands encompassed southeastern Scotland and northeastern England. The Gododdin spoke Brittonic, a Celtic language closely related to Welsh. Today, descendants of the Gododdin cultural heritage are primarily found in Welsh literature.

The Gododdin are famous for a lyrical epic composed around 600 AD – Y Gododdin. In it, the poet Aneirin recounts how three hundred Gododdin warriors marched south from Din Eidyn to fight the Angles at Catraeth (probably present-day Catterick in Yorkshire). They fought for three days—and were almost completely annihilated. Only one returned alive. Following this defeat, the power of the Gododdin crumbled. They lost their land to the Angles of Bernicia, who allied with the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Deira. This alliance eventually formed the kingdom of Northumbria.

The Angles were migrants from what is now northern Germany and Denmark. Bernicia, their northern kingdom, stretched across northeastern England into southern Scotland, while Deira, the southern capital, roughly corresponded to present-day Yorkshire. The two realms merged into a regional power with continental values. Celtic culture gave way to Germanic, and the Gododdin heritage dwindled into a narrative reminiscence. For a locally patriotic historian like Fiona, Edinburgh embodies a mythical ancestral line: “The soil of my city is soaked with Celtic blood—the blood of warriors who fought to the last man.”

From the 12th century onward, the castle on Castle Rock served as a royal residence. Mary Stuart (1542–1587) gave birth here in 1566 to James VI, the future king of Scotland and England. Over the centuries, Edinburgh Castle was besieged, captured, and expanded. Today, it stands as a national symbol and houses the National War Museum.