Ontoenergetics: A Thermodynamic Theory of Life, Aging, and Death

Life in all its diverse forms persists through a constant interplay of energy capture, conversion, and dissipation that counters the universal push toward thermodynamic equilibrium. Ontoenergetics provides a unifying and reductionistic theoretical framework by portraying aging and death as intrinsic consequences of an organism's diminishing capacity to resist entropy over time. Diseases temporarily induce hypermetabolic phases that bolster immediate defense or adaptation, but also deplete the free energy (ΔG) required to sustain homeostasis. This manuscript integrates fundamental thermodynamic principles, key aspects of mammalian physiology, and detailed discussions on multi-organ coordination, including the brain's high metabolic demands and the synergistic roles of other organs. It further examines adaptive stimuli, most prominently exercise and fasting, that momentarily raise entropy output yet foster metabolic efficiency in the longer term. Such paradoxical strategies demonstrate an evolutionary balancing act, wherein short-term stresses recalibrate energy use, delaying rather than preventing the onset of age-related decline. Ultimately, aging and death emerge not as pathologies but as the inherent resolution of life's finite struggle to remain far from equilibrium.