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The Joule Standard: A Thermodynamic Theory of Monetary Evolution and Civilizational Collapse

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  • Amado, Lindorf

Abstract

Standard economic models often treat money as a social construct independent of physical laws. This paper proposes a unified thermodynamic theory of value, positing that monetary systems are information protocols evolved to maximize entropy production in dissipative structures (civilizations). By analyzing 10,000 years of economic history—from the Neolithic era to the Digital Age—we demonstrate a strict linear relationship (R2 = 0:9934) between the Real Cost of Energy (E) and the Granularity of Money (G). We derive the Equation of Value, G / E, where the value of the accounting unit scales directly with the energy cost of labor. This framework resolves historical anomalies such as the collapse of the Roman Denarius and the failure of the 20th-century Gold Standard, interpreting them not as policy errors, but as thermodynamic phase transitions. The theory predicts that the current decline in the marginal cost of energy (via AI and renewables) necessitates a transition to a monetary substrate with near-infinite divisibility and zero friction.

Suggested Citation

  • Amado, Lindorf, 2025. "The Joule Standard: A Thermodynamic Theory of Monetary Evolution and Civilizational Collapse," MPRA Paper 128172, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:128172
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. William D. Nordhaus, 1996. "Do Real-Output and Real-Wage Measures Capture Reality? The History of Lighting Suggests Not," NBER Chapters, in: The Economics of New Goods, pages 27-70, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    JEL classification:

    • B52 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Current Heterodox Approaches - - - Historical; Institutional; Evolutionary; Modern Monetary Theory;
    • C10 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - General
    • E42 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Monetary Systems; Standards; Regimes; Government and the Monetary System
    • N10 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations - - - General, International, or Comparative
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

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