The evolution of Adam - Entropy and Eden.
So far we have been looking at the fall of Adam and Eve from Edenic conditions from the perspective on the implications it had on their fall from an immortal to a mortal state.
The fall had other more immediate and urgent implications as well.
Eden, from its descriptions appears to have been of limited geographical extent and a place of lower entropy. It is described as a " garden" where every need appears to have been catered for.
We learn more about the garden simply by the contrast between it and the outside world, that Adam and Eve are cast out into, after partaking of the forbidden fruit.
From Genesis 3 we learn that the outside world is is a place of:
- v14 cursing and eating of dust
- v15 enmity and violence
- v16 sorrow, desires and ruling
- v17 cursing and sorrow
- v18 thorns and thistles
- v19 sweat, work and eventual death and decomposition
These are the things we know and that are an every day part of our lives.
This is the world we live in.
It is the world of ever increasing Entropy.
Entropy is a measure of the degrees of freedom in a system, put differently it is the number of choices or options available at any given time.
A system with high entropy has many available options or possible outcomes, whereas a system with low entropy has fewer degrees of freedom.
Thanks to understanding the laws of thermodynamics we now know that systems tend to devolve and become more disorganization over time unless there is some form of energy input or work to maintain the current level of order.
In this world we live in... if one does not actively do something to maintain stuff, that stuff tends to fall apart over time.
That is because there are far more ways for things to become less organised than there are ways for things to become ordered. As systems evolve over time they follow the path or "pick the choices" that require the least energy, therefore things under these circumstance are likely to follow the path of least resistance.
I like to think of it that Time flows in one direction only and that is because it follows the path of least resistance. Time does not flow backwards because that would require it to flow uphill, so to speak.
That is why our lives consist of work, work, work.
We have to constantly be inserting energy into the system to counter the energy that flows out of the system in the form of disorder, waste and decay.
Eden was different, entropy or the tendency to fall apart and unravel was lower.
It appears that in Eden the direct presence of God either provided the necessary energy to maintain things in an ordered state or that simply that presence meant that things decayed more slowly, if at all.
It is easy for me to consider that Eden had far fewer degrees of freedom.
In fact we only read about two choices in this regard. One would maintain a blissfully ignorant immortal state that would last forever or the other that would introduce drastic change.
The latter was chosen and as a direct consequence, a new world with many more options or "degrees of freedom" ensued.
Previous parts of this Series.
Were the seven days of creation in Genesis seven twenty four hour periods? - Delving a little deeper
Were the seven days of creation in Genesis seven twenty four hour periods? - Into the detail
Were the seven days of creation in Genesis seven twenty four hour periods? - Some conclusions
Were the seven days of creation in Genesis seven twenty four hour periods? - Some more conclusions
Were the seven days of creation in Genesis seven twenty four hour periods? - The implications.
The evolution of Adam - a conundrum
The evolution of Adam - Who is Adam
The evolution of Adam - Two trees and choice
The evolution of Adam - Partaking of the fruit and feeling naked
The evolution of Adam - Was there death before Adam
The evolution of Adam - The biological purpose of death.
The evolution of Adam - The need for a Redeemer
The evolution of Adam - Inheritance and Redemption
The evolution of Adam - The dust of the ground
The evolution of Adam - flesh and blood and flesh and bone.
The evolution of Adam - a debt of blood and ghosts
The evolution of Adam - the lesser understood spirit within us all.
A very thought provoking read. The original sin? Do you think that man would ever be satisfied to know that he had everything needed at his disposal? There is something so human about the story of The Garden of Eden.
It sets us apart from God. Yet we are Godly creatures that sin. I know that is another story. 🐓🐓
It is through this human experience that we gain experience and learn to be more like God by choosing good over evil without parental interference. Adams transgression opened the way and introduced choice into the lives of all that followed after.
It's through many choices that lasting character is developed.
So you are talking about free will here? I had never considered this perspective before. I understand our experiences help us to form character. You have given me much food for thought. Thank you for your response.
I appreciate the fact that you scientifically explain what happened between the serpent, Adam and eve,it also explains some Grey areas in details to curb arguments
Great as previous part @gavvet.. Thanks for sharing this.. i appreciate your effort on this..love your articles.
For me the hitting point in this article is the six quotes that you mentioned from the Genesis 3
I'll have to go back and read some of your other posts. I'm not religious by any means and not very well versed but I'm fascinated by some of the interpretations I've come across, especially those that seek to explain the nature of reality and consciousness through a metaphorical understanding.
Great have fun
interesting.......good read!
It could in addition to be said that the own occurring of "Eden" is actually more akin to the world of or angels to which it is said that they have no forgive other of their own but man is alternating (due to the Fall) in that because he must engage in the world of less entropy that if he is potentially practiced to learn from his experiences of dealing taking into account the or chaos of the world to be become a more perfected creature.
Well written, and well said. I would have to agree with most of these points.
I believe Adam would have had more choices than just whether or not to eat of the tree. We see that he named the animals, tended to the garden. But i do see what you mean in that he was more or less provided for in a sense. As in, he could just grab food from anywhere really as it was readily available. He didnt have to forage.
To clarify, by this I meant that was the only really difficult choice, where it had to be made and it was between two direct opposites, with eternal consequences.
This is so interesting!
If you do nothing entropy will take part of your life really quickly, that's why we always have to give the best of ourselves
exactly, if you are standing still you are really moving backwards.
Excellent!
@gavvet hi there, the fall of Adam and Eve from the original form of which which they were created. Had every thing to fo with Eden.
Eden was like a shell, a home that protected them from sin, and when they eventually fell, that was when they started to age, and started to die
Thank you for writing this.
I disagree. In Genesis 1:28 ' God said to them, s“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”'
This contradicts the concept that Eden was a final, perfect destination for mankind. Rather, by working in Eden's garden (Gen 2:15), we can suppose Adam's time to be temporary in nature, (I believe) an educational environment prior to going out and "subduing the earth".
Thats a perception we were made to realise that the garden of eden was a placw where they had communion with God,however they lost this when they sinned
I'm sorry. I don't understand your reply. Would you rephrase?
What im trying to say is that Adam and eve lost their perfect nature because they left eden which suppose to make them live forever, the moment they leftt eden, they killed the spirit of God in them