Least Entropy Path

Well, this is hardly a scientific hypothesis, because it is almost impossible to be safely proved on our own (although it can be falsified, as long as we consider our Universe to be finite in some practical terms), and even if proved it seems to be of not much use. It still may give some clues to solve some problems, specifically the FermiParadox.

Suppose that:

1. There is an entity around us which governs a large amount of space in Universe.
2. This entity and its neighbors are still bound by the physical laws known to us (SecondLawOfThermodynamics and LightSpeedLag in particular).
3. This entity is large enough to be much more interested, as a whole or at least in our vicinity, in processes inside it than in processes near its border.
4. This entity is old enough to be bothered with the effects of increasing entropy in the processes going on inside it.
5. This entity is able to reason about its future and tries to persist for as long as it can.

In this case it's natural for this entity to try to reduce the entropy production in the governed space to the minimum rate still providing the means of its continuous existence. The processes that seem to be too wasteful (in terms of entropy) will be corrected, and the processes that are cheaper (in terms of entropy) for this entity to leave alone than correct will be left alone.

If the entity expects its persistence to be limited in some other ways than by its own heat death, it can allow for increasing the entropy production inside it, but the maximum rate will still be limited to the level that will allow the entity to persist for all the time it has.

In principle, this hypothesis may give some theological/philosophical twist to the origins of life as an anti-entropic process, and to some of the origins of morale/ethic in conscious beings.

And in practice it can mean, for example, that we don't see GreyGoo in our vicinity not because there is no one but us who may try to produce it, but because it's impossible or extremely unsafe for any civilization to play with such a wasteful stuff here.

-- NikitaBelenki