Can we assume that the second law of thermodynamics could correspond to the second tacit law of alchemy? The first law of alchemy can already be considered similar to the first law of thermodynamics or conservation of mass/energy. –Xavier Valentine 22:58, 26 July 2005 (UTC) Hello. I am someone who regularly and daily browses Wikipedia and has decided to help with the article. Perhaps some (general) examples of equivalent exchanges in the FMA would also be good here. I forgot my nickname –Xavier Valentine 02:59, 24 July 2005 (UTC)Reply[Reply] I added the title Other meanings to make room for other paragraphs on E2 that also mean something other than alchemy. The equivalent exchange does not always have to refer only to alchemy. It`s also the way life works. You can`t get anything like money without sacrificing something, like a job or an assignment, which means you have to work for something to get something. Fullmetal Alchemist states that the value of a human soul is not quantifiable, and since something cannot be created without losing an object of equal value, something that has infinite value can never be exchanged equally. However, this does not stop alchemists from trying, because sometimes the pain of losing a loved one outweighs logic.
When human transmutation is performed, the alchemist in charge pays a high price, because bartering for a soul of infinite value with materials of finite value causes the alchemical equation to become unbalanced, resulting in a rebound. This is the law of equivalent exchange as defined at the beginning of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. It governs the laws of alchemy, the highest form of science in the series, and much of the series: energy cannot be destroyed or generated, only transformed or replaced by something of equal value. This is the version of the story of the « price of magic, » their way of allowing the characters to do what is effectively witchcraft in an otherwise almost realistic turn-of-the-century setting. Power must obey this rule. Like many other people like me, I really like the idea, but we can`t argue with reason. Reason dictates that it is astronomically difficult and unnecessary to make this principle exclusively possible. even for a being or beings high enough to do so. Life contains too many variables that randomly interact with each other to be able to control and direct them in such a simple matter. Perhaps, if such beings exist, they are able to do so, but this « spectacle » (life on Earth rules exclusively according to this principle) would be too boring for them. Chaos is so much fun that it can corrupt them even. In Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, the practice of alchemy is at the forefront of science.
It allows its practitioners to alter the composition of matter through the process of transmutation, a skill useful both in combat and in everyday life. Despite its many applications, alchemy is a science and as such subject to the laws of the universe. The main law of alchemy is that of equivalent exchange. Does the law of equal exchange apply even in real life? I think that matter cannot be created or destroyed, every reaction has an equal and opposite reaction, etc. The equivalent exchange is the way Edward Elric, after a botched alchemical experiment, exchanges his member for the soul of his brother Alphonse. (But not his body. Certainly, the meaning of « equivalence » throughout history is elusive.) Ed and Al had tried to transform their dead mother with the physical components of a human and their DNA, and it backfired catastrophically – depriving Ed of his left leg and Al of his entire body. The price had not been paid. Are the quotes cited in the articles translations of the Japanese version? It seems strange that all the quotes refer to « equivalent trading » when the title is Equivalent Exchange (which was in the English version of the TV series).
You cannot atone for what you have done. Nor will they be rewarded for it, not in an equivalent form. There is only the way forward. The desire to keep learning, to do better, to endure the clutter it takes to keep going, and to collect the sorrows and small miracles you encounter along the way. The sunsets, the wind on your skin, the damage you do and the good you`re going to do, the risks you`ll take, anyone you`ve ever held, abandoned, or who makes you feel alive, that`s kind of magic in itself. From a scientific point of view, and as you mentioned in your question, conservation of energy, mass and momentum seem to be very real principles of the universe in which we live. There is no point in arguing about this. That`s right, believe it or not! From the first moment I saw the first episode, the whole concept of FMA`s « equivalent exchange » seemed like a blatant reference to the concept of karma; The idea that in the end good is rewarded and evil is punished. In addition, the reference Ouroboros and « One is All; » Everything is One » also seems to remind karma – that ultimately one person`s pleasure comes at the expense of another`s pain, one person`s luxury at the expense of another`s misery (i.e.
« equivalent exchange »). Maybe there is no link and I imagine so, but it might be worth mentioning in the article. The punishment for human transmutation is severe, not only because it violates the law of equivalent exchange, but also because ignoring this law means that a human has actually tried to play God, God in Fullmetal Alchemist is the truth. Anyone who attempts to effect human transmutation is teleported through their own personal gate of truth (which allows alchemy to be practiced) and brought before the being whose door bears the name. Truth is God in the sense that He possesses infinite knowledge, including knowledge of alchemy, world history, and much more. When this infinite knowledge is pushed through the door of truth, it is shown to the targeted alchemist and absorbed by him. Along with this knowledge, entering the realm of truth also allows the alchemist to practice alchemy without using a transmutation circle (the basic laws of equivalent exchange still apply). There is no equal exchange when it comes to love, life or each other. In any type of relationship, you can never really pay someone back. There is no convenient currency to exchange with those who love us. Ed and Al give up everything for each other – and they end up where they started, albeit with a truer sense of what it means to be human and love.