In philosophical thermodynamics, John Grier Hibben (1861-1933) was an American mathematician, physician, and theologian noted for his 1903 article “The Theory of Energetics and its Philosophical Bearings”, a short summary of the philosophical implications of German chemist Wilhelm Ostwald’s 1901 lectures on Natural Philosophy. [1] The following is one of seven criticisms discussed by Hibben on Ostwald’s energetics philosophy: [2]

“The physical world is characterized by decrease of energy and increase of entropy. The reverse is true of the world of thought.”

Education
Hibben obtained his BS in mathematics from Princeton, graduating valedictorian of his class. In 1882, he spent a year in philosophical studies at the University of Berlin. ordained as a minister of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America by the Carlisle Presbytery on May 19, 1887. He received a PhD in 1893 with a dissertation on "The Relation of Ethics to Jurisprudence," became assistant professor in 1894, and Stuart Professor of Logic in 1907. In 1912 he was elected fourteenth president of Princeton.

References
1. (a) Ostwald, Wilhelm. (1910). Natural Philosophy. Henry Holt and Co.
(b) Ostwald, Wilhelm. (1901). Naturphilosophie (vol 1-7). Leipzig.
2. Hibben, John Grier. (1903). “The Theory of Energetics and its Philosophical Bearings”, The Philosophical Review, 12: 175-77.

External links
● John Hibben – Wikipedia.