Time Asymmetry in a Nutshell

The follows is my first attempt at summarizing the search for the origins of the second law.

Entropy must start out small at beginning to observe non-equilibrium now. Given current observations, the universe did just this. Low entropy corresponds to a smooth universe in a system dominated by gravitation which we observe in the CMB. So the question we are asking is, how did it get this way? Is there a dynamical reason or just some initial condition?

Arguments usually center around coming up with some dynamics that allow generic initial conditions to evolve to what we see today.
One of the first proposed that inflation itself was responsible, simply flattening out all the inhomogenaities is its reason for existence anyway. But when gravity is repulsive, flattening inhomogenaities is still increasing entropy. (Albrecht and Guth)
One of the last arguments on the table is that the equilibrium state is actually unstable to inflation. Take a stable expanding universe, add an inflaton field and a zero point field and you can get thermally driven spontaneous inflation. This inflation can be "eternal" with "pockets" of reheating which look like big bang universes. (Carroll et al)

Need to read: Eternal inflation , inflaton fields, de Sitter space details.
Next time, more readings.