Human Societies: A Curious Application of Thermodynamics

摘要

There is a loose analogy between the intermolecular forces that govern the observable behavior of fluid systems and the social forces that drive human behavior. Based on this premise, at least in principle, one may apply a thermodynamic treatment to describe social systems. This article puts forth some ideas, basically similes, that help understanding of some common social occurrences such as divorce and racism in the light of thermodynamic reasoning.