Entropy and first-rate Intelligence - F. Scott Fitzgerald

"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function. One should, for example, be able to see that things are hopeless and yet be determined to make them otherwise."

This perhaps is the most well-known quote of F. Scott Fitzgerald, the famous American author. He is famous for his fiction, The Great Gatsby novel. Above quote appeared in one of his biographical essays, and it seems to capture some essence of life, not only intelligence. The first question I would like to ask is what are the two opposing ideas? And he himself have given the first example.

Sandcastle with low entropy.

Examples of two opposing ideas.

Things are hopeless -> yet there is hope.

(Life seems to end at death -> yet there is hope that one would lead a successful life) This seems to be the modern way of thinking about life.

I would like to ask are there any more examples to two opposing ideas that we have to live with? How about following list of examples.

For an investor ->Higher expected return means more risk. It seems not many people are able to handle these two opposing ideas in a meaningful way to come out unbroken.

Hard work/smart work now will pay more in the future -> But there is an opportunity cost as it seems future never seems to be a thing which is Present. To some it may even look like an illusion.

To achieve world peace and equality, one has to bring all the humans under one nation, one rule and one mission, but this mission itself seems to be asking for a world war. "Be careful what you wish for" as sacrifices of human life in the name of peace cannot be justified. Then again are we aiming for eternal clash and discrimination?

The universe is flowing from lower entropy to higher entropy. Yet, humans by development is trying to force it towards order. Will this ever work?

Entropy.

Let's focus on the last of the example. If you ask me to summaries the meaning of it, I would say, entropy is the one which makes things hopeless. I am not sure Fitzgerald himself, would coin that term, or agree if he was to read this article. I am sure, he had understood the hopelessness by other names than entropy. Disease, old age and death, wars, poverty can be some indicators to his understanding of hopelessness. But, if you want to point at some background universal force which brings out all this chaos, I will point out to entropy. So, what is entropy anyway?

Entropy is a meassure of disorder or chaos, or randomness in a system. If a system is more disordered it has high entropy, and if it has few variability and more predictability it has low entropy. As a rule the universe loves to move from low entropy to high entropy. The best example is a sand castle vs a pile of sand as Mr. Brain Cox explains. The sand castle which has low entropy will eventually will become a pile of sand. It just need time and natural forces as a factor. However, the sand pile will never become a sand castle on its own. Although no natural low stops from just doing that. As the sand pile has many stable forms, but the sand castle does have only one form. This truth apply not only to sand castles, but also real castles as well.

Sand dunes with high entropy

If you have built anything, you may have noticed this tendency of things to decay. As an example, a perfectly arranged bed linnon would tend to move towards disorder at the end of the day, hence need remaking everyday. So is everything inside a room. Job of a librarian is to make order, after each student make little chaos inside the library by moving things. A house when abandoned will eventually degrade into a pile of rumble. Similarly a city, like chernobyl. Will eventually find its way into a higher entropy system with much more biodiversity.

First-rate intelligence

I am sure given enough time the even the earth would become dust and sucked into a black hole. So, is there any point all our struggles in everyday, trying to keep order? And this is where the importance of Fitzgerald's little intelligence trick comes handy. Living is not getting hopeless knowing the facts, it's just living hopefully knowing its hopeless.