The constructal law makes biology and economics be like physics: Reply to comments on “The constructal law and the evolution of design in nature”

Abstract

We thank the authors of the Comments for their unanimously positive and constructive contributions to the discussion stimulated by the Constructal Law. The Comments reinforce the conclusion that the Constructal Law is the physics principle that unites the phenomena of design and evolution in nature, in both animate and inanimate systems. With the Constructal Law, biology and economics become like physics—law-based, exact and predictable. The “law of life” used by Prof. Basak [1] is a very good name for the Constructal Law. The concept of what it means to be alive is defined by the Constructal Law, and based on this definition “life” unites all the flow systems that morph freely as they evolve toward moving more easily on the landscape. The law of life unites the previously distinct realms of animate and inanimate systems, and the distinctly separate disciplines of Physics and Biology. Very timely is Prof. Basak’s review of Darwin’s five laws, and the fact that they are not laws in the physics sense because they are limited to biological systems. Also useful is his review of how the Constructal Law covers all forms of design in nature, including solid structures (the flow of stresses) and the design of hierarchy at all scales (organ sizes, and “the few large and many small” movement of everything on the landscape). His concluding question is a call to new and unbiased research with the Constructal Law. Prof. Reis [2] contributes the physicist’s sharp view of what a law of physics is, and then evaluates the Constructal Law according to this standard. Especially clear is his presentation of the two laws of thermodynamics, and how the Constructal Law complements these laws. Also important is his observation that (like the laws of thermodynamics) the Constructal Law provides the foundations of both natural and engineered design. Many of us tend to overlook the