{"id":"https://openalex.org/W116065429","doi":"https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/9780262194983.003.0017","title":"Gradient Reduction Theory: Thermodynamics and the Purpose of Life","display_name":"Gradient Reduction Theory: Thermodynamics and the Purpose of Life","publication_year":2004,"publication_date":"2004-08-13","ids":{"openalex":"https://openalex.org/W116065429","doi":"https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/9780262194983.003.0017","mag":"116065429"},"language":"en","primary_location":{"id":"doi:10.7551/mitpress/9780262194983.003.0017","doi":"https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/9780262194983.003.0017","is_oa":false,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/9780262194983.003.0017","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306463997","display_name":"The MIT Press eBooks","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"listed_in":[],"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/P4310315718","host_organization_name":"The MIT Press","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/P4310315718","https://openalex.org/P4310316440"],"host_organization_lineage_names":["The MIT Press","Massachusetts Institute of Technology"],"type":"ebook platform"},"license":null,"license_id":null,"version":"publishedVersion","is_accepted":true,"is_published":true,"raw_source_name":"Scientists Debate Gaia","raw_type":"book-chapter"},"volume":{"id":"https://openalex.org/W4256297708","display_name":"Scientists Debate Gaia"},"type":"book-chapter","indexed_in":["crossref"],"open_access":{"is_oa":false,"oa_status":"closed","oa_url":null,"any_repository_has_fulltext":false},"authorships":[{"author_position":"first","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5017166591","display_name":"Dorion Sagan","orcid":null,"observed_orcids":[]},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Dorion Sagan","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]},{"author_position":"last","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5024596020","display_name":"Jessica Hope Whiteside","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9403-4516","observed_orcids":["https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9403-4516"]},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Jessica Hope Whiteside","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]}],"institutions":[],"countries_distinct_count":0,"institutions_distinct_count":0,"corresponding_author_ids":[],"corresponding_institution_ids":[],"apc_list":null,"apc_paid":null,"fwci":0.0,"has_fulltext":false,"cited_by_count":12,"citation_normalized_percentile":{"value":0.02584556,"is_in_top_1_percent":false,"is_in_top_10_percent":false},"cited_by_percentile_year":{"min":89,"max":96},"biblio":{"volume":null,"issue":null,"first_page":"172","last_page":"184"},"is_retracted":false,"is_paratext":false,"is_xpac":false,"primary_topic":{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10778","display_name":"Philosophy and History of Science","score":0.6509000062942505,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1207","display_name":"History and Philosophy of Science"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/12","display_name":"Arts and Humanities"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}},"topics":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10778","display_name":"Philosophy and History of Science","score":0.6509000062942505,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1207","display_name":"History and Philosophy of Science"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/12","display_name":"Arts and Humanities"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T14299","display_name":"Complex Systems and Dynamics","score":0.11100000143051147,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/3109","display_name":"Statistical and Nonlinear Physics"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/31","display_name":"Physics and Astronomy"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T11520","display_name":"Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics","score":0.09910000115633011,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/3109","display_name":"Statistical and Nonlinear Physics"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/31","display_name":"Physics and Astronomy"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}}],"keywords":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/gradient-reduction","display_name":"gradient reduction","score":0.8579999804496765},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/non-equilibrium-thermodynamics","display_name":"non-equilibrium thermodynamics","score":0.9750000238418579},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/second-law-of-thermodynamics","display_name":"second law of thermodynamics","score":0.968999981880188},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/teleology","display_name":"teleology","score":0.8489999771118164},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/meaning-of-life","display_name":"meaning of life","score":0.7400000095367432},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/flow-processes","display_name":"flow processes","score":0.6050000190734863},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/open-and-closed-systems","display_name":"open and closed systems","score":0.7440000176429749},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/gaia","display_name":"Gaia","score":0.5609999895095825},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/organismal-organization","display_name":"organismal organization","score":0.44999998807907104},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/materialism","display_name":"materialism","score":0.4429999887943268}],"concepts":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/C80038905","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q192121","display_name":"Teleology","level":2,"score":0.8822809457778931},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C144218379","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7081","display_name":"Materialism","level":2,"score":0.7246299982070923},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C74859849","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2466686","display_name":"Non-equilibrium thermodynamics","level":2,"score":0.6455625295639038},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C119820323","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q177045","display_name":"Second law of thermodynamics","level":2,"score":0.6004462242126465},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C111472728","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9471","display_name":"Epistemology","level":1,"score":0.4579838812351227},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C38349280","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1434290","display_name":"Flow (mathematics)","level":2,"score":0.43903201818466187},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C14036430","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3736076","display_name":"Function (biology)","level":2,"score":0.41214168071746826},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C33332235","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18362","display_name":"Theoretical physics","level":1,"score":0.39915984869003296},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C18903297","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7150","display_name":"Ecology","level":1,"score":0.3581276834011078},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C97355855","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11473","display_name":"Thermodynamics","level":1,"score":0.3579553961753845},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C121332964","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q413","display_name":"Physics","level":0,"score":0.31427329778671265},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C138885662","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5891","display_name":"Philosophy","level":0,"score":0.3112751245498657},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C57879066","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q41217","display_name":"Mechanics","level":1,"score":0.21159130334854126},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C86803240","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q420","display_name":"Biology","level":0,"score":0.14747926592826843},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C78458016","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q840400","display_name":"Evolutionary biology","level":1,"score":0.08772283792495728}],"mesh":[],"locations_count":2,"locations":[{"id":"doi:10.7551/mitpress/9780262194983.003.0017","doi":"https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/9780262194983.003.0017","is_oa":false,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/9780262194983.003.0017","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306463997","display_name":"The MIT Press eBooks","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"listed_in":[],"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/P4310315718","host_organization_name":"The MIT Press","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/P4310315718","https://openalex.org/P4310316440"],"host_organization_lineage_names":["The MIT Press","Massachusetts Institute of Technology"],"type":"ebook platform"},"license":null,"license_id":null,"version":"publishedVersion","is_accepted":true,"is_published":true,"raw_source_name":"Scientists Debate Gaia","raw_type":"book-chapter"},{"id":"pmh:oai:eprints.soton.ac.uk:354802","doi":null,"is_oa":false,"landing_page_url":"http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/scientists-debate-gaia","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306401019","display_name":"ePrints Soton (University of Southampton)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"listed_in":[],"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I43439940","host_organization_name":"University of Southampton","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I43439940"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":null,"license_id":null,"version":"submittedVersion","is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Book Section"}],"best_oa_location":null,"sustainable_development_goals":[],"sustainable_development_goals_aurora":[],"study_designs":[],"awards":[],"funders":[],"has_content":{"grobid_xml":false,"pdf":false},"content_urls":null,"referenced_works_count":0,"referenced_works":[],"related_works":["https://openalex.org/W4235153787","https://openalex.org/W67774254","https://openalex.org/W7038819425","https://openalex.org/W7090888927","https://openalex.org/W2045968845","https://openalex.org/W7154707495","https://openalex.org/W2186214073","https://openalex.org/W7124313923","https://openalex.org/W7115916617","https://openalex.org/W1657583916"],"abstract_inverted_index":{"This":[0,84],"chapter":[1],"argues":[2],"that":[3,15,88],"nonequilibrium":[4],"thermodynamics,":[5],"informed":[6],"by":[7],"a":[8,45],"general":[9],"version":[10,50],"of":[11,26,39,51,59,68],"the":[12,37,52,56,65],"second":[13,53],"law":[14,54],"applies":[16],"equally":[17],"to":[18,28,104],"open":[19],"and":[20,73,114],"closed":[21],"systems,":[22,62,69],"connects":[23],"flow":[24,61,100],"processes":[25],"life":[27],"nonlife":[29],"in":[30,36,92],"illuminating":[31],"ways.":[32],"Energy":[33],"delocalizes":[34],"or,":[35],"words":[38],"Eric":[40],"D.":[41],"Schneider,":[42],"\u201cnature":[43],"abhors":[44],"gradient.\u201d":[46],"Investigating":[47],"how":[48],"this":[49],"informs":[55],"natural":[57],"organization":[58],"complex":[60],"we":[63],"rethink":[64],"teleological":[66],"status":[67],"such":[70],"as":[71,90],"organisms":[72],"Gaia,":[74],"usually":[75],"covertly":[76],"or":[77,82],"overtly":[78],"endowed":[79],"with":[80],"\u201cpurpose\u201d":[81],"\u201cmind.\u201d":[83],"chapter\u2019s":[85],"conclusion":[86],"is":[87,108],"teleology":[89],"found":[91],"purposeful":[93],"organisms,":[94],"including":[95],"humans,":[96],"derives":[97],"from":[98],"inanimate":[99],"systems":[101],"thermodynamically":[102],"organized":[103],"reduce":[105],"ambient":[106],"gradients\u2014this":[107],"their":[109,111,115],"function,":[110],"prebiotic":[112],"physiology,":[113],"materialistic":[116],"purpose.":[117]},"counts_by_year":[{"year":2025,"cited_by_count":1},{"year":2024,"cited_by_count":2},{"year":2023,"cited_by_count":1},{"year":2021,"cited_by_count":2},{"year":2020,"cited_by_count":1},{"year":2019,"cited_by_count":1},{"year":2017,"cited_by_count":1},{"year":2013,"cited_by_count":1}],"updated_date":"2026-10-27T15:51:10.671819","created_date":"2016-06-24T00:00:00"}