Universal entropy can decrease only locally at the expense of bigger increase elsewhere.
Can this occur in a lifeless environment or does it necessarily require living organisms to do it?
Can this occur spontaneously or does it have to be an intentionally arranged process, like building a refrigerator?
My assumption is that you need to spend purposeful effort to decrease entropy locally. You need to spend energy to create differences in energy density and you need to have a reason why you do it. Living organisms use energy to create and maintain their internal order for the reason of survival. Inanimate matter has no reason to do anything. Causal uncontrolled processes always go towards higher entropy.
This question seems to enter the grey zone between physics and philosophy. Does a local decrease of entropy require intentional control over the course of events?
Best Answer
No life needed for this. All you need is for heat to flow away from the local region. It will carry entropy with it. Example: make yourself a cup of coffee. Put the cup on a table and wait while it cools. The entropy of the cup of coffee falls (and the entropy of the surrounding air increases).