Self-Organization and Thermodynamics Self-organization is the spontaneous emergence of global order and structure from the local interactions of an initially disordered system. While this seems to contradict the classical second law of thermodynamics—which states that isolated systems naturally decay into maximum disorder (equilibrium)—self-organization actually depends on it. When systems are open and driven far from thermodynamic equilibrium by a constant flow of energy, they form "dissipative structures". According to the Maximum Entropy Production Principle (MEPP), these systems self-organize specifically to maximize the rate at which they dissipate energy and produce entropy globally, offsetting their local increase in order.

Mechanisms of Emergence The transition from chaos to order is governed by nonlinear dynamics and circular causa ...