Entropy
Entropy provides an analogy for maintenance and irreversible consequences: relationships can weaken through neglect, and some damage cannot be fully repaired. The social analogy does not make relationships obey a thermodynamic law.
THE IDEA
17. Entropy
"You can't unscramble an egg."
Entropy is associated with irreversible physical processes. The non-decrease principle concerns an isolated system; it does not mean that every system becomes more disordered at every moment.
Dealing with others can be seen through the lens of entropy in several ways.
There are ways that you can treat others that can cause permanent damage and are irreversible. If you do something terrible to someone, don’t expect them to help you in the future. Keeping this idea in mind can help you avoid potential mistakes. As we all know, the arrow of time only points in one direction, so actions you take now have future consequences.
Maintaining relationships takes energy. Over time if you don’t keep in touch, friendships break down and erode. I haven’t spoken to my college roommate in over two years, even though we used to live together and were best friends. Without attention, the friendship became more distant.
When relationships break down, they can take more energy to fix if repair is even possible. As an analogy, entropy draws attention to the work of maintenance and to damage that cannot simply be undone.
When to use it
Avoiding actions that cause permanent damage in relationships by considering long-term consequences.
Regularly investing time and energy in friendships to prevent them from eroding.
Recognizing when a broken relationship might require disproportionate effort to repair, and deciding whether it's worth it.
Applying the concept to team dynamics: a lack of communication and collaboration can lead to a disordered, unproductive team.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Irreversible damage in relationships
Betraying a friend's trust may permanently damage the relationship, making it impossible to return to its previous state. For instance, sharing a secret you were asked to keep can destroy trust irreparably.
Fading friendships without effort
A college roommate who was once a best friend may become a distant acquaintance if no effort is made to stay in touch. Without regular communication and energy, the friendship naturally decays.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
Think of a relationship that has faded over time. What energy could you have invested to slow or reverse the entropy?
When have you witnessed an irreversible consequence in your interactions with others? How might awareness of entropy have changed your actions?
Which habits or projects need regular maintenance, and what happens when that attention stops?
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Thinking in Systems and Mental Models Think Like a Super Thinker (Dawson, Marcus P)