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Old June 22nd 13, 10:25 AM posted to sci.astro
Pentcho Valev
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Default GETTING RID OF THE SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS

The mythology surrounding the second law of thermodynamics is even more schizophrenic than that surrounding Einstein's 1905 false light postulate. At least the light postulate has a clear formulation; in contrast, "even today, the Second Law remains so obscure that it continues to attract new efforts at clarification":

http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/archive/00000313/
"Snow stands up for the view that exact science is, in its own right, an essential part of civilisation, and should not merely be valued for its technological applications. Anyone who does not know the Second Law of Thermodynamics, and is proud of it too, exposes oneself as a Philistine. Snow's plea will strike a chord with every physicist who has ever attended a birthday party. But his call for cultural recognition creates obligations too. Before one can claim that acquaintance with the Second Law is as indispensable to a cultural education as Macbeth or Hamlet, it should obviously be clear what this law states. This question is surprisingly difficult. The Second Law made its appearance in physics around 1850, but a half century later it was already surrounded by so much confusion that the British Association for the Advancement of Science decided to appoint a special committee with the task of providing clarity about the meaning of this law. However, its final report (Bryan 1891) did not settle the issue. Half a century later, the physicist/philosopher Bridgman still complained that there are almost as many formulations of the second law as there have been discussions of it (Bridgman 1941, p. 116). And even today, the Second Law remains so obscure that it continues to attract new efforts at clarification."

On the other hand:

http://bip.cnrs-mrs.fr/bip10/valevfaq.htm
"There is probably no law in science that has been tested so thoroughly, by so many people, over such a long period."

Pentcho Valev