Source: Design for a Brain: The Origin of Adaptive Behavior (1952), p. 238
“Physical irreversibility manifests itself in the fact that, whenever the system is in a state far removed from equilibrium, it is much more likely to move toward equilibrium, than in the opposite direction.”
Source: An Introduction To Probability Theory And Its Applications (Third Edition), Chapter XV, Markov Chains, p. 397.
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William Feller 30
Croatian-American mathematician 1906–1970Related quotes

Ilya Prigogine (1996) "The End of Certainty: Time, Chaos, and the New Laws of Nature". p. 64. Cited in: Ilya Prigogine http://www.eoht.info/page/Ilya+Prigogine at echt info. By Sadi-Carnot et all., Jan 28 2013.
Source: 1940s, Economic Analysis, 1941, p. 637-638 (rev. ed. 1947); cited in Macroeconomische theorie ingeleid en voortgezet. Kluwer, 2006. p. 3
Source: Design for a Brain: The Origin of Adaptive Behavior (1952), p.54

“The evolution of a physicochemical system leads to an equilibrium state of maximum disorder.”
Thermodynamics of Evolution (1972)
Source: Sociology and modern systems theory (1967), p. 40 as cited in: Jacquie L'Etang, Magda Pieczka (2006) Public Relations: Critical Debates and Contemporary Practice. p. 335.
Source: General System Theory (1968), 7. Some Aspects of System Theory in Biology, p. 166-167 as quoted in: Eugene Thacker (2004) Biomedia. University of Minnesota Press. p. 150
Toward an Activist Spirituality (2003)
Context: Systems don't change easily. Systems try to maintain themselves, and seek equilibrium. To change a system, you need to shake it up, disrupt the equilibrium. That often requires conflict.
To me, conflict is a deeply spiritual place. It's the high-energy place where power meets power, where change and transformation can occur.
Source: Sociology and modern systems theory (1967), p. 56.