What Are Entropic Effects? Do They Affect Civilization?
In previous posts I pondered the concept of whether entropy forces evolution or evolution leads entropy. This post considers the entropic effect on the evolution of human civilization.
The concept of an entropic effect on civilization would mean that civilization is going backwards, or degrading slowly over time. Have there been human civiliations who were more in tune with our universe than we are today? Of course!
The most obvious example is the Egyptians. Having read a number of books on alternative history, like Finger Prints of the Gods and The Orion Mystery, I’ve learned some interesting suppositions regarding this previously great civilization.
We are taught in school that mankind sprung into existence, with a complete understanding of everything required to manage a mature civilisation, in approximately 3000BC.
Some modern researchers have challenged this theory, but the current Egyptologists and archaeologists refute any attempt to move this date backwards, despite some intriguing evidence.
Even if you accept these assumed dates to be correct, we can find some interesting conundrums to consider; Cheops, the Great Pyramid is the first.
Egyptologists maintain this immense stone edifice is a tomb, built by the Fourth Dynasty pharaoh Khafre around 2500 BC (500 years after we became ciivilised). The monument provides some very interesting questions to consider. It was built using engineering tolerances we can barely achieve today. It has a footprint of over 13 acres, and the foundation layers have cut stones which weigh over 100 tons.
Today, we do have cranes which can lift 100 tons, and these can be found in some of the major ports around the world, to lift containers off and on ships. I found evidence of cranes which can lift up to 600 tons, but these have only been designed and built within the past few decades and are very limted in how they lift.
So, how did the Egyptians get these massive blocks up to the height which they are? Even more curious is how they were placed in the specific angles as we find them in the King’s and Queen’s chambers!
If you accept the current theory, that a huge ramp of dirt was built around the pyramid, and the stones were dragged up and around the ramp, then dragging a 100 ton stone is one thing, but lifting and manipulating it into an angled position is another!
And there are hundreds of 100 ton stones used in its construction…
If you consider the Valley Temple, found on the same plateau in Giza, you’ll find stone blocks used in its construction which weigh over 200 tons!
So what did the Egyptians know that we don’t?
We’ll consider that in the next post…
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Hi Curtis: Well, I must exception again. An older civilization by far was the Chinese whose dates may go back 8,000 years. The Egyptian civilization declined, of course, as do all civilizations based upon their own merits. Not dependent on entropy, necessarily. Some independent primitive tribes have survived thousands of years, or so it seems, though we have no written records, in a kind of civilization. Depends on how one defines civilization. Take the Bushman of the Kalahari. They have lived in harmony with no religion, no gods, no chiefs, tribal structure for ages.
In terms of moving the blocks of stone that the Egyptians did, German scientists have shown how it could have been done with grease! That we have “forgotten” such methods is not necessarily a demonstration of entropy. Simple misplacement of knowledge, lost knowledge, would explain it just the same. Write on!
Dr Bob,
I don’t know how this comment slipped by me, but allow me the courtesy of a belated reply…
Quoting you, “The Egyptian civilization declined, of course, as do all civilizations based upon their own merits.”
Why do all civilizations decline? Wouldn”t that be an example of entropy?
Now for the purpose of this post, I use the word “civilization” specifically pertaining to our modern assumption about what a civilization is. So I’m placing a formal meaning on the word – which might not translate to other’s definition of the word – of society with a formalized presence like a city/state. An entity that does not not exist in alignment with nature but exists despite of it.
You mention the Bushmen of Kalahari, which I have not researched, but I would certainly add the Australian Aboriginals to this list. Both cultures exist with nature and leave little trace of their existance on the land. The Aboriginals are thought to be one of the oldest living cultures in the world with over 60,000 years of history….but they certainly don’t exist without having a religion and gods and chiefs and structure.
Lastly I would have to investigate ‘grease’ as a way to lift a 200 ton block, but stranger things have happened…
Thanks once again for thoughts and interactions!
Write On!