Modelling social and global entropy using the example of the water balance
A critical analysis
The concepts of social and global entropy represent an interdisciplinary research approach that is being employed in order to restructure global challenges such as sustainable water use. The author presents an innovative approach to modelling and visualising these complex phenomena. This article presents a critical analysis of the proposal, exploring its potential and limitations for advancing sustainability research and practice.
The concept of social and global entropy
In the manuscript ‘From the Art of Imagination to the Vision of an Artificial Superintelligence’ (currently only available in German), chapter 8 defines social entropy as a measure of the degree of resource distribution and irreversible processes in a social system. The concept of global entropy is extended to encompass planetary phenomena, such as the depletion of natural resources. To illustrate, Fon employs the global water balance as a case study, developing a mathematical methodology for quantifying these abstract quantities.
Mathematical modelling of the entropy index
The fundamental premise of this model is the formulation of a global entropy index, which is based on a selection of United Nations (UN) sustainability indicators pertinent to the water sector. By standardising and normalising the indicators and calculating partial entropy values, an aggregated index between 0 and 1 is determined. The objective is to quantify the degree of disorder in the global water balance.
Potential of the approach
• Integration of various dimensions of the water issue in one key figure
• Possibility of global and regional benchmarking
• Basis for data-driven decision support
• Visualisation potential for complex interrelationships
Critical discussion and limits
• Subjectivity in indicator selection and weighting
• Loss of detailed information through aggregation
• Challenges in data collection and quality
• Questionable transferability of the physical entropy concept
The author proposes various extensions to his model:
• Integration into immersive visualisations and a ‘water metaverse’
• Use for participatory scenario development
• Basis for new financing mechanisms (e.g. blockchain-based sustainability funds)
The author’s approach to modelling social and global entropy using the example of the water balance represents an ambitious attempt to quantify and visualise complex sustainability challenges. Despite the presence of certain methodological weaknesses, the concept offers a fruitful avenue for interdisciplinary sustainability research. Nevertheless, further validation and refinement of the model are necessary for practical application.
References:
Bailey, K. D. (1990). Social entropy theory. State University of New York Press.
United Nations. (2023). Sustainable Development Goals indicators. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/indicators/database/