Defining synergy thermodynamically using quantitative measurements of entropy and free energy

Abstract

Synergy is often defined as the creation of a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. It is found at all levels of organization in physics, chemistry, biology, social sciences, and the arts. Synergy occurs in open irreversible thermodynamic systems making it difficult to quantify. Negative entropy or negentropy ( N) has been related to order and complexity, and so has work efficiency, information content, Gibbs Free Energy in equilibrium thermodynamics, and useful work efficiency in general ( W). To define synergy in thermodynamic terms, we use the quantitative estimates of changes in N and W in seven different systems that suffer process described as synergistic. The results show that synergistic processes are characterized by an increase in N coupled to an increase in W. Processes not associated to synergy show a different pattern. The opposite of synergy are dissipative processes such as combustion where both N and W decrease. The synergistic processes studied showed a relatively greater increase in N compared to W opening ways to quantify energy—or information—dissipation due to the second law of thermodynamics in open irreversible systems. As a result, we propose a precise thermodynamic definition of synergy and show the potential of thermodynamic measurements in identifying, classifying and analysing in detail synergistic processes. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 21: 235–242, 2016