Zusammenfassung
Complex systems throughout Nature display structures and functions that are
built and maintained, at least in part, by optimal energies flowing through
them--not specific, ideal values, rather ranges in energy rate density below
which systems are starved and above which systems are destroyed. Cosmic
evolution, as a physical cosmology that notably includes life, is rich in
empirical findings about many varied systems that can potentially help assess
global problems facing us here on Earth. Despite its grand and ambitious
objective to unify theoretical understanding of all known complex systems from
big bang to humankind, cosmic evolution does have useful, practical
applications from which humanity could benefit. Cosmic evolution's emphasis on
quantitative data analyses might well inform our attitudes toward several
serious issues now challenging 21st-century society, including global warming,
smart machines, world economics, and cancer research. This paper comprises one
physicist's conjectures about each of these applied topics, suggesting how
energy-flow modeling can guide our search for viable solutions to real-world
predicaments confronting civilization today.
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