Amount Quote by Herman E. Daly
“The laws of thermodynamics restrict all technologies, man's as well as nature's, and apply to all economic systems whether capitalist, communist, socialist, or fascist. We do not create or destroy (produce or consume) anything in a physical sense- we merely transform or rearrange. And the inevitable cost of arranging greater order in one part of the system (the human economy) is creating a more than offsetting amount of disorder elsewhere (the natural environment).”
About This Quote
Source Book: Steady‑State Economics, 1977
Thermodynamic laws limit all technologies and economies, causing disorder elsewhere when order is increased.
In simple terms: Physical laws limit tech and economies, creating waste elsewhere.
Key Takeaway
Consider ecological costs of economic growth.
Themes
environment
economics
physics
systems theory
Mood
concerned
analytical
Type
philosophical
environmental
When to use this quote
- policy making
- business strategy
- educational curricula
Key Concepts
entropy
sustainability
resource limits
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we design growth that respects thermodynamics?
- What policies reduce environmental disorder?
A Different Perspective
May oversimplify complex economic dynamics.
