Final answer:
The 2nd law of thermodynamics indicates a universal trend toward increased entropy, representing a state of greater disorder and reduced energy availability for doing work.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to the 2nd law of thermodynamics, there is a tendency toward higher entropy in the universe. As energy is transferred or transformed, the total entropy of the universe tends to increase, leading to a decrease in the availability of energy to do work. This universal entropy encapsulates the tendency for systems to become more disordered over time, signifying that processes become less reversible and energy becomes more spread out and less useful for doing work.
While living organisms maintain low entropy by importing energy and exporting entropy, the fundamental direction of natural processes is towards higher entropy. This concept is expressed in various ways, all of which relate to the conclusion that systems in nature tend towards maximum disorder and minimized availability of energy for work as dictated by the second law of thermodynamics.