WHAT IS INTELLOPY?

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 "Intellopy" refers to the degree to which all the matter in the universe has been transformed into "Intelligent Matter." It is a term coined by author JJ Kelly in his 2021 book, “INTELLOPY: Survival and Happiness in a Collapsing Society with Advancing Technology.”

• Intelligent Matter is defined as matter that consists of living entities that act according to the nature of their consciousness, complying with the Laws of Nature to support their own lives and the continuation of their species—essentially, matter that “does something.” It also includes the matter these entities repurpose for their own uses—essentially, matter that is "used for something." Examples include the wood and graphite in pencils, concrete in buildings, silicon in computer chips, and metals in rockets—all of which have been converted from "dumb" (unintelligent) matter into something with purpose.

• The Law of Intellopy observes that the universe's physical properties drive the emergence and increase of Intellopy (the total amount of Intelligent Matter) at an accelerating rate over time. This suggests that, as long as we avoid extinction, humanity (and potentially other life forms including living machines) will continue to convert more and more unintelligent matter into intelligent matter, increasing entropy in the universe as a byproduct. This process is seen as an evolutionary trajectory where humans, as products and agents of evolution, play a role in "awakening" the universe by giving matter purpose.

In essence, Intellopy measures how much of the universe’s raw, purposeless matter has been turned into something functional and purposeful by living entities, and it frames humanity’s technological and societal progress as part of a cosmic trend toward greater intelligence and utility in matter.

Key Points of the Law:

1. Emergence: Intelligent Matter doesn’t just appear randomly—it emerges because of the universe’s physical laws and the evolution of life. Living entities begin to manipulate and repurpose "dumb" (unintelligent) matter, turning it into something useful.
2. Acceleration: The rate at which this conversion happens increases over time. Early in the universe’s history, there was little to no Intelligent Matter (just raw elements like hydrogen and rocks). As life evolved—especially with humans—the transformation of matter into purposeful forms (e.g., tools, infrastructure, technology) has sped up dramatically.
3. Cosmic Trend: This isn’t just a human phenomenon—it’s framed as a universal process. The Law suggests that if life continues to exist and evolve (i.e., we don’t go extinct or there are others in the universe), this trend will persist, with more and more matter being converted into Intelligent Matter.

Thermodynamics

The book ties the Law of Intellopy to thermodynamics: as we convert dumb matter into Intelligent Matter (e.g., mining ore to make steel for a bridge), we increase the universe’s entropy—a measure of disorder. While the matter itself becomes ordered and purposeful (like a bridge), the energy used in the process disperses, contributing to the universe’s overall entropy. This aligns with the second law of thermodynamics.

Example in Action

• Past: Millions of years ago, Earth’s matter was mostly "dumb"—rocks, water, gases. Early life forms began converting some of it (e.g., plants turning CO2 into oxygen and biomass).
• Present: Humans able to discover Nature’s Laws and apply cause-and-effect knowledge to create technology have taken this to an extreme. As noted in the book, by December 9, 2020, Nature magazine reported that human-made objects (roads, buildings, plastics) outweigh all natural biomass on Earth. This massive shift from natural, "dumb" matter (rocks, trees) to Intelligent Matter (cities, machines) has accelerated entropy through industrial activity.
• Future: Plans to colonize other planets (e.g., mining Mars for resources) would extend this process beyond Earth, accelerating the conversion of the universe’s matter into Intelligent Matter.

Broader Implication

The Law of Intellopy positions humanity (and potentially other advanced biological, technological, or hybrid life forms) as agents of evolution. We’re not just surviving—we’re part of a universal mechanism that "awakens" matter by giving it purpose—which is our entropy-driven evolutionary purpose. It’s an optimistic view of evolution and technology, suggesting that our drive to build and expand is a natural, accelerating feature of the universe’s design—unless we self-destruct.

Entropy Explained

Entropy, in thermodynamics, is a measure of disorder or randomness in a system. The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that entropy tends to increase over time in an isolated system (like the universe). When energy is used or transformed, some of it becomes "unusable" (e.g., heat dissipating into the environment), leading to greater overall disorder, even if local pockets of order (like a building, machine, or a living organism) are created.

Entropy and the Law of Intellopy

The book states: "If we do not go extinct, our evolutionary trajectory will continue to increase entropy in the universe by converting unintelligent, dumb matter into intelligent matter that we use for our purposes." 

Here’s how this works:

1. Conversion Process:

• "Dumb  matter" (e.g., raw iron ore, crude oil, or a lump of graphite) is naturally in a relatively low-entropy state—it’s unorganized but stable, just sitting there.
• Conscious beings (humans, in this case) extract, refine, and transform it into "Intelligent Matter" (e.g., steel beams, plastic, pencils). This creates highly ordered, purposeful structures—local decreases in entropy.

2.    Energy Cost:

• Transforming dumb matter into Intelligent Matter requires energy—lots of it. Mining, smelting, manufacturing, and construction all burn fuels or use electricity, releasing heat and waste into the environment.
• This energy dissipation increases the entropy of the surroundings. For example, when we turn coal into energy to make steel, the steel is ordered, but the CO2, heat, and ash released increase disorder elsewhere.

3.    Net Entropy Increase:

• While the Intelligent Matter itself (say, an animal or a skyscraper) represents a local increase in order (decreased entropy), the total process—energy extraction, transformation, and waste—results in a net increase in entropy across the universe.
• The Second Law holds: the universe as a whole becomes more disordered, even as we create pockets of purpose and complexity.

Why Entropy Increases Accelerates

The Law of Intellopy claims this conversion happens at an accelerating rate. Why does entropy tie into that?

• Technological Advancement: As humans discover laws of nature and develop more efficient tools and energy sources (fire → steam → electricity → nuclear), we convert matter faster and on a larger scale. Knowledge increases. Each leap amplifies energy use and waste.
• Cognitive Fluidity: As humans interact with and use new technologies, their brains re-integrate brain function modules as needed, gaining new intelligence capabilities that prior generations did not have. Intelligence increases.
• Population and Demand: More people, higher living standards, and longer lifespans drive exponential growth in construction, manufacturing, and resource extraction—all entropy-boosting activities.
• Cosmic Expansion: The book hints at future plans to mine other planets. Scaling this process beyond Earth would vastly increase the energy expended and entropy generated, as we’d tap into solar system-scale resources.

A Cosmic Perspective

The book frames this entropy increase as part of a grand evolutionary purpose: "A product of evolution, we are a way for the universe to awaken itself." 

Here’s the twist:

• Local Order, Global Disorder: Intelligent Matter (ourselves and our creations) "awakens" the universe by giving matter purpose and consciousness-driven utility. But this awakening comes at the cost of spreading disorder elsewhere via entropy.
• Thermodynamic Trade-Off: It’s almost poetic—life and intelligence fight against local entropy (building order) while inevitably hastening the universe’s overall march toward maximum entropy (a state of total disorder, like the "heat death" scenario).

Potential Tension, Release

There’s an interesting tension here:

• The Law of Intellopy celebrates the growth of Intelligent Matter as a positive, accelerating trend.
• Yet, unchecked entropy increase could eventually exhaust usable energy, potentially clashing with "survival and happiness" (the book’s subtitle) if resources run dry.

It’s implied that as long as we avoid extinction, we’ll keep finding ways to harness energy and matter—perhaps through renewable tech or space exploration—sustaining the Intellopy trajectory while riding the entropy wave. Perhaps the tension will be released before we’ve exhausted all the available energy in the universe if we discover other universes or learn that this one is not, in fact, a “closed” thermodynamic system.

In Summary

Given our understanding of thermodynamics (subject to change), the increase in entropy tied to the Law of Intellopy is the footprint of converting dumb matter into Intelligent Matter. It’s the messy, energetic byproduct of human (and universal) evolution—an accelerating process where we create order for ourselves but scatter disorder into the cosmos. It’s a dual legacy: we awaken the universe, but we might also hasten its entropic fate. Pretty wild to think about, right?

[Note: The author coined the term “Intellopy” because he could not find one for this concept. The existing terms "dissipation-driven adaptation" and “causal entropic forcing” (Jeremy England) and “anthropomorphic matter” came close but didn’t take into account the actions of non-conscious living entities and the ultimate consequence in the universe.]

INTELLOPY® is a registered trademark owned by the publisher, Future Coach LLC.