The living state is low entropy, highly complex organization, yet it is part of the energy cycle of the environment. Due to the recurring presence of the resting state, stimulus and its response form a thermodynamic cycle of perception that can be modeled by the Carnot engine. The endothermic reversed Carnot engine relies on energy from the environment to increase entropy (i.e., the synaptic complexity of the resting state). High entropy relies on mental energy, which represents intrinsic motivation and focuses on the future. It increases freedom of action. The Carnot engine can model exothermic, negative emotional states, which direct the focus on the past. The organism dumps entropy and energy to its environment, in the form of aggravation, anxiety, criticism, and physical violence. The loss of mental energy curtails freedom of action, forming apathy, depression, mental diseases, and immune problems. Our improving intuition about the brain’s intelligent computations will allow the development of new treatments for mental disease and novel find applications in robotics and artificial intelligence.

生命状态是低熵、高度复杂的组织，但却是环境能量循环的一部分。由于静息状态的反复存在，刺激及其响应形成了可以通过卡诺引擎建模的感知热力学循环。吸热逆卡诺发动机依靠来自环境的能量来增加熵（即静息状态的突触复杂性）。高熵依赖的是精神能量，精神能量代表内在动力，着眼于未来。它增加了行动的自由度。卡诺引擎可以模拟放热、消极的情绪状态，从而将注意力集中在过去。有机体以恼怒、焦虑、批评和身体暴力的形式向环境倾倒熵和能量。精神能量的损失会限制行动自由，形成冷漠、抑郁、精神疾病和免疫问题。我们对大脑智能计算的直觉的提高将有助于开发精神疾病的新疗法以及机器人和人工智能的新发现应用。