Dr. Wu Jun's choices represent the three formulas of human civilization

Although I would much prefer to continue telling stories about those mysterious creatures, about the children of the Dragon Kings and the rare treasures from the Heavenly Court, I have decided to set these aside for now.

Today, the story we are going to tell is not so ancient. One could say it comes from modern times, from science, from humanity's endless pursuit of truth.

Today's story originates from a question: If the Earth were about to be destroyed, and you could only write the essence of all human civilization on a business card for other civilizations to know that we once existed, what would you write?

This question seems incredibly distant and unrealistic.

The Earth is about to be destroyed? We must remember that our Earth Mother is unlikely to perish before us, even if she reaches old age.

Before humans, she nurtured the dinosaurs, and after humans, she can surely nurture the next civilization.

But does this question have no meaning at all?

Not quite.

In fact, even if it's not for showcasing the pinnacle of our civilization to other civilizations, the very act of selecting a formula that represents the essence of humanity has its own unique significance.

The birth of these formulas signifies each leap forward in human civilization, and it represents humanity's advancing step toward the truth of the universe.

Now, Dr. Jun Wu, a Google researcher from China and a bestselling author, may not be as prominent as scientific giants like Einstein or Maxwell. But it is figures like these 'little people' who can better introduce the 'great formulas' that we discuss today.

It is precisely these 'little people' who have given a formal and resounding answer to a question that could concern all of humanity.

Yes, what we want to discuss today is not a personal biography or a mythical tale. What we are talking about today are the driest and most boring formulas.

Yet these formulas represent the closest thing humanity currently knows to the collective truths of the universe.

Dr. Wu's answer consists of three formulas:

1+1=2, E=mc², and S=-∑P ln P

The first represents the entirety of human mathematical achievements; the simplest mathematical operation reveals the most primitive and essential truths.

The second is Einstein’s mass-energy equivalence formula, which reveals the equivalence between mass and energy.

The importance of these two to human civilization needs no further elaboration.

Today, however, we want to focus on the third formula, often referred to as the expression of the second law of thermodynamics or the entropy law.

What does this formula mean?

It is not as easily understood as the mass-energy equivalence formula or the simple truth of mathematics, and it certainly doesn't conform to the concise elegance of mathematical language.

But in fact, its content is simpler than anyone could imagine.

It merely reveals the essence of entropy increase: 'In an isolated thermodynamic system, entropy tends to increase spontaneously.'

At the same time, it brings with it two thoughts that are deep enough to plunge one into an abyss.

First, if everyone understands this formula, they can easily draw a simple conclusion: the endpoint of all matter is chaos and disorder.

In thermodynamics, scientists call this 'heat death.'

'Heat death' means that, in this isolated thermodynamic system—the universe—there will come a day when, due to the continuous increase in entropy, it reaches an extreme state of disorder, a state of 'maximum entropy.'

In this state, all life and matter will cease to exist. Regardless of whether human civilization reaches this point, it is inevitable that human civilization, too, will go extinct.

This, without a doubt, is a despairing thought.

But at the same time, the second law of thermodynamics also reveals another objective fact:

"Life feeds on negative entropy."

Life is life because it can react to the outside world in an orderly manner; it can metabolize. The process we call 'metabolism' in thermodynamics is referred to as 'entropy reduction.'

Living organisms take in low-entropy food and excrete high-entropy waste, thereby extending their own lives and slowing their entropy increase.

With life, the universe—this isolated thermodynamic system—becomes less 'isolated.'

The universe, because of the existence of life, no longer seems so desolate, and the 'heat death' no longer appears so imminent.

My friends, this is undoubtedly a heavy topic, but I don't wish to be heavy-hearted.

From this formula, we gain insight into the essence of life, and thus, I constantly remind myself of the preciousness and importance of life!

And I hope each of you can also gain some insight from this.