In hmolscience, Yi-Fang Chang (1947-), or 张一方 (in Chinese) or YiFang Zhang, is a Chinese particle physicist noted, in human thermodynamics, for his 2009 to present effort to formulate a melting pot of physics and thermodynamics theories to explain social phenomenon.
Overview
In Oct 2009, Chang published “Moderate Degree of Input Negative Entropy Flow and Decrease of Entropy in Astrophysics, Biology, Psychology and Social Systems”, wherein he begins with some black hole thermodynamics calculations, the cites Erwin Schrodinger's 1943 What is Life?, then mentions John Edsall and Hanoch Gutfreund's 1983 book on biothermodynamics, after which jumps into smattering of semi-recent applications of thermodynamics in spirituality, social sciences, etc. [5]
In Nov 2009, Chang, in his “Social Synergetics, Social Physics, and Research of Fundamental Laws in Social Complex Systems”, attempts to formulate social thermodynamics equations and theorize on concepts such as social temperature. [1]
Chang seems to base much of his social thermodynamics theories on the work of Belgian chemist Ilya Prigogine and synergetics of German theoretical physicist Hermann Haken. [2]
In 2013, Chang published “Social Thermodynamics, Social Hydrodynamics and Some Mathematical Applications in Social Sciences”, wherein he cites the 2001 social combustion theory of Wenyuan Niu, among others. [4]
Criticism
In 2011, American physicist Len Fisher calls Chang’s social thermodynamics derivation article “frankly hilarious” and “non-serious”, describing the article as pages and pages of convoluted mathematics, all ending with the outlandish conclusion that his home country was essentially perfect. [3]
Education
Chang began a process of self-education in physics as a youth, reading through some 46 physics books, focusing in on higher mathematics and Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity work. Chang currently is a professor of physics at Yunnan University.
See also
● Chinese school of social physics
References
1. (a) Chang, Yi-Fang. (2009). “Approach to a Quantitative Description of Social Systems based on Thermodynamic Formalism” (abs), ArXiv.org, Nov 11.
(b) Chang, Yi-Fang. (2009). “Social Synergetics, Social Physics, and Research of Fundamental Laws in Social Complex Systems” (abs), eprint arXiv: 0911.1155.
2. (a) Article (Chinese → English) – YNDaily.com.
(b) Synergetics (Haken) – Wikipedia.
3. Fisher, Len. (2011). Crashes, Crises, and Calamities: How we Can Use Science to Read the Early-Warning Signs (social thermodynamics, pg. 143, 211). Basic Books.
4. Chang, Yi-Fang. (2013). “Social Thermodynamics, Social Hydrodynamics and Some Mathematical Applications in Social Sciences” (pdf), International Journal of Modern Social Sciences, 2(2):94-108.
5. Chang, Yi-Fang. (2009). “Moderate Degree of Input Negative Entropy Flow and Decrease of Entropy in Astrophysics, Biology, Psychology and Social Systems” (abs), ArXiv.org, Oct 4.
Further reading
● Chang, Yi-Fang. (2013). “Chaos, Fractal in Biology, Biothermodynamics, and Matrix Representation on Hypercycle” (abs), NeuroQuantology, 11(4).
External links
● Yi-Fang Chang (publications) – ArXiv.og.
