Cooperation between Natural and Social Sciences:
Towards a New Knowledge Hub
Laszlo P. Csernai
Abstract and introduction:
Academies are traditionally the meeting places for different social,
natural and life sciences and for a long time these interdisciplinary
subjects were driven by natural interest and curiosity: The results
of Astronomy, Galileo and Kepler initiated philosophical discussions
on our place on the Earth and in the Universe, then Quantum mechanics
led to discussions about uncertainty determinism and tele-portation,
and General Relativity having been directing attention to time travel,
parallel universes, and other fantastic possibilities. Some of these
discussions are not on solid ground, and one has to keep in mind as
physics as well as all natural and live sciences are based on
repeatable experimental findings. Thus complex mathematical extrapolations (especially if not correctly explained or understood may lead
to highly questionable "post-modern" philosophical conclusions or
formulations).
Today the connections between social and natural or live sciences are
not less important than earlier. The conclusions of statistical
physics and thermodynamics, led to the introduction of Entropy and
its general probabilistic formulation, which can be extended to any
system, even to humans, to other species or to the human society.
The general rule that in a closed system any spontaneous change
should lead to entropy increase is stunning as it could mean that
the Earth is going to loose all the structure that was built up by
now, it will have to be heated up and only ashes and smoke could
remain. Luckily this problem was solved quite some time ago: the
Earth is not a closed system the incoming energy (heat, dQ_in) and
entropy (dS_in) is balanced by the energy (heat dQ_out) and entropy
(dS_out). On the range of a few 1000 years the energy, heat radiated
in and out balance each other, while the entropy change, dS = dQ/T
can be different as the temperature, T, is different in and out. The
incoming radiation from the Sun is originating from the temperature
of the Sun, T_in = 6000 K, while the radiation out is characterized
by the surface temperature of the Earth, T_out = 300 K , i.e.
T_in >> T_out !! This is very good as dQ_in ~ dQ_out and from
dS = dQ/T , we get that dS_Earth = dS_in - dS_out << 0 !!
Thus the entropy of the Earth is decreasing, or its "Neg-Entropy" is
increasing. This is because the Earth is not a closed system and
its energy and entropy balance allows for a substantial Neg-Entropy
increase. The entropy on the Earth is represented by the humanity
and the living world where the information stored in the brain and
in the DNA represent the largest amount of Neg-Entropy per given
mass. The astrophysical entropy balance of the Earth enables the
population increase and the increase in the intelligent and increasingly complex constructions on the Earth. These issues were the
key points of the Club of Rome a few decades ago.
The present and near future developments in the human society are
also connected to the developments in natural sciences. We have seen
that energy and complexity had a key role in recent fundamental
developments in sciences and consequently in philosophy and social
sciences also. Now the energy, energy supply, and energy sustainability are becoming focal points of the human society, which are
decisive even in questions of War and Peace, as well as the growth of
humanity.
The cooperation between social and natural sciences is more important
than ever before. We need a correct and precise evaluation of
sustainability and stability on the natural science level as well as
on the level of economy and business. This second economic aspect is
not corresponding well to the natural and physical balance and is
influenced by political influence, and different political and
ideological interests. It is not certain and not studied if these
influences increase or decrease the sustainability of our global
system.
For example the prices of the new energy conversion facilities,
solar power, wind turbines and devices like electric cars are not
reflecting the real energetic costs, energy losses, and energy
efficiencies. The majority of the population does not even know
that there are Laws of Nature, which regulate these things, and
it would need a strong collaboration between natural and social
scientists to work out reliable data. This will also hurt the
political interests of different groups, so the impartial academic
type of effort is more important than ever.
A few concrete details of such actual problems and their consequences
will be mentioned in the presentation, which could be a basis for
further discussion as well as forming out the initial program of
an interdisciplinary Knowledge Hub. An example of such an Hub is the
new AE Bergen Hub, where one of the focal topics is energy, and
another is radiation treatment in medicine. Another related center
is the Trento ECT^* a theoretical conference and workshop center,
established about a decade ago.
László Csernai is a Humboldt Prize winner, Professor of Theoretical Nuclear
Physics of the University of Bergen, Norway since 1987. External
Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Member of the Council of
Academia Europaea, former director of Bergen Computational Physics
Lab, an EU Research Infrastructure and Member of the Board of the AE
Bergen Knowledge Hub.