ABSTRACT
The classical concept of entropy is shown not to reflect the essence of the second law of thermodynamics both phenomenologically and theoretically. A new concept of entropy Sn, is given, which offers a particular physical meaning of entropy and provides an experimental determination of the entropy value. At the same time, it is suggested not to define entropy but irreversibility——as the key characteristic of thermodynamics second law for real processes. In addition, this article demonstrates that it is wrong to mechanically transfer the statistical concept and mathematical formula of the entropy to the field of real systems. This approach has led to incorrect basis for a number of theoretical sciences, which study both the phenomenon of life and the different systems—automates, computers, robots etc.—which model life’s separate functions. This allows one to avoid many attempts at defining the phenomenon of life via entropy characteristics and give definitions of life and an elementary structure of both life itself and devices that simulate life (automata, computers, and robots). This, in turn, allows one to assign a substantive sense to the mathematical character of corresponding sciences (information theory, cybernetics, system theory, etc.) and define operational a single basic concepts of information, knowledge, meaning, and control, as well as to formulate operational concepts of order, organization, and self-organization and implement a new approach to problems of biology, biophysics, information theory, cybernetics, and system theory. Additionally, on the basis of scientific facts the evolution of the universe is considered as an implementation of the existing program, which allows a new approach to problems of world outlook and science, on the one hand, and a more efficient approach to the problem of genome decoding and to analysis of brain structure and its functioning in the immediate scientific practice, on the other hand.