Ephrat Livni reviews, in this Quartz article, the application of Constructal theory to the physical description of innovation and human illumination. Livni article refers to a recent research paper on Social organization by A. Bejan  and other researchers: Social organization: The thermodynamic basis.

Simply put, the theory explains that “this theoretical framework also reveals the physical meaning of innovation: It is a local design change that liberates the flow over the entire territory inhabited by the organized movers”. In brief,  innovations open new pathways that generate opportunity for more movement for everyone around them.

And, as the local invention attract sudden movement, then the whole flowing area, or population, becomes wealthier than before. According to Bejan, “this is the tangible, or physical effect of a single idea, and why research, science, questioning, and tinkering benefit the whole of society”.

Read the full story by Ephrat Livni on Quartz: Physics can explain human innovation and enlightenment, June 30, 2018.