is tuesdays with morrie nonfiction

Energy-Substrate Scaling is a unified theory of complexity. The law states that complex systems rise by discovering energy accounts, flourish by spending them, and fall when the balance diminishes, with the height of their flourish determined by the size of the accessible account. Energy-Substrate Scaling: A Unified Theory of Complexity Core Axiom: The scope, structure, and lifespan of any complex system are dictated by the characteristics of the energy substrate it can access and exploit. This is not merely a theory of resource use. It is a theory of metabolic fate. It posits that the story of any complex structure, from a bacterium to a civilization to a star, is prefigured in the relationship between its hunger for order and the fund of useful energy it can consume.