Part 8/9:
Despite these robust responses to Maxwell's thought experiment, two notable philosophers of physics, John Earman and John Norton, presented an argument in a 1998 paper, asserting that Maxwell's demon continues to pose a genuine challenge to the second law. Their reasoning hinges on categorizing the demon itself as either a thermodynamic system or not.
If the demon is a thermodynamic system, it must comply with the second law, illuminating the unnecessary nature of linking information and thermodynamics. Conversely, if the demon is considered an external agent, any underpinning physical theories that justify its existence would need independent verification. Landauer's principle, while persuasive, may still invite skepticism regarding its adequacy as a justification.