Entropy and the Magic Flute

239 Pages·1993·9.1 MB·English

by  Harold J. Morowitz

Entropy and the Magic Flute
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Entropy
and th e
Magic Flut e
Harold J. Morowit z
New York Oxford
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
1993
Oxford University Press
Oxford New York Toronto
Delhi Bombay Calcutta Madras Karachi
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and associated companies in
Berlin Ibadan
Copyright © 1993 by Harold ,]. Morowitz
Published by Oxford University Press, Inc.,
200 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016
Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior permission of Oxford University Press.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Morowitz, Harold J.
Entropy and the magic flute /
Harold J. Morowitz,.
p. em. ISBN 0-19-508199-4
1. Science—Miscellanea. I. Title.
Q173.M87 1993 500-dc20 92-27935
The chapters in this volume originally appeared as essays in Hospital Practice.
We gratefully acknowledge reprint permission from both Hospital Practice and
The Maclean Hunter Medical Communications Group Inc., its publisher.
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
This volume is dedicated to
the memory of my mother
ANNA LEVINE MOROWITZ
Only decades later have I come to appreciate
the depth of her influence
on my love of learning
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Contents
Introduction, xi
I
1. Entropy and the Magic Flute, 3
2. The Perversion of J. Willard Gibbs, 7
3. Les Atomes, 12
4. Tricentennial, 17
5. Albertus Magnus, 21
6. Fundamental Laws of Nature, 25
II
7. Jesus, Moses, Aristotle, and Laboratory Animals, 31
8. Tubes, 36
9. Humans, Animals, and Physicians' Waiting Rooms, 40
10. The Oath, 44
11. Autism and Authority, 48
12. The Missing Volumes, 53
13. The Smoking Gun, 57
III
14. Just Say No, 63
15. The Fromagmcation of America, 67
Viii CONTENTS
16. Killer Cheese, 71
17. A Bioenergeticist's Revenge, 75
18. A Two-Coffee Culture, 79
19. Deliver Us, 83
IV
20. Roots of an American Tail, 91
21. Justice, 96
22. The Sidewalks of New York, 100
23. Brighten the Corner Where You Are, 104
24. Nixon and Thermodynamics, 108
25. "George Mason, One of Our Really Great Men," 112
V
26. Koobi Fora, 119
27. Clitoridectomy, 124
28. Mammals I Have Known, 129
29. Daibutsu and Descartes, 133
30. Tatami Taxonomy, 137
31. Madame Pele, 141
32. The Sociology of Palo Alto Coffee Shops, 145
VI
33. Dirty Neoplatonists, 151
34. Quadrivial Pursuits, 155
35. Twenty Books Clad in Black or Red, 160
36. The Litmus Test, 165
37. Expertise, 169
38. The Afternoon Session, 173
CONTENTS iX
39. Literati, 177
40. Potlatch, 181
VII
41. What Is Life? Now Is the Time to Find Out, 187
42. Brekekekex, Ko-ax, Ko-ax!, 191
43. A Rose by Any Other Name, 195
44. Flights of Fancy, 200
45. A Living Library, 204
46. Xdos, Chaos chaos, and Chaos, 208
47. A Window in Time, 212
48. Planetary Protection, 217
49. Rocks, 221