In thermodynamics, Lucien Benguigui (1936-) is a French-Israeli physicist noted for []
Overview
In 2013, Benguigui, in his Hmolpedia-cited article “The Different Paths to Entropy”, mentioned the 1902 “What is Entropy Debate?”, Austrian physicist Ludwig Boltzmann's definition of entropy, American electrical engineer Willard Gibbs supposed three definitions of entropy, quantum thermodynamics definition of entropy (von Neumann entropy), etc., and on the subject of human thermodynamics, about which he seems to be a detractor, he cites American mechanical engineer Bill Nye’s 1993 definition: “the application of mathematical formula of thermodynamics to the economic and social sciences like car wreck behavior, politics, the process of falling in love”, about which Benguigui comments: [1]
“Not all these [human] applications [of entropy] have a real rational basis connected firmly with physical laws.”
Benguigui, in email communication with American electrochemical engineer Libb Thims, elaborated on this comment that: [2]
“About the entropy: If you want to use the concept of entropy outside physics you have to define it precisely what it is in a new context. Until now entropy receives precise definitions only in the frame of physics, so you cannot use it outside of physics.”
(add discussion)
Discussion
To cite a converse view, from one of his own countryman, in 2010 Russian-born Israeli chemical engineer Alec Groysman, in his conference presentation “Use of Art Media in Engineering and Scientific Education”, cites the entropy based human chemistry work of American electrochemical engineer Libb Thims, along with the earlier affinity chemistry based human chemistry theories of German polymath Johann Goethe, and gives his opinion that these perspectives should be taught alongside and within the modern chemical engineering curriculum. Likewise, fellow countryman Israeli physical chemist Arieh Ben-Naim, whom Benguigui mentions in passing, in his 2012 book Entropy and the Second Law, cites Swedish physical chemist Sture Nordholm who in 1997 equated energy with wealth and entropy with freedom. [5] Hence, we seem to see a difference in opinion: Benguigui believing, possibly similar to Philip Moriarty (see: Moriarty-Thims debate), that entropy does not apply to the humanities, whereas Nordholm, Groysman, Thims, and possibly Ben-Naim believing it does.
Education
Benguigui completed his PhD in 1969 with a dissertation on “Ferroelectric and Antifferoelctic properties of some Perovskites”, presented at Paris. [2] Benguigui, as of 2012, is a professor emeritus, specializing in the field of condensed matter and materials physics, of the physics department of Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel. [3]
References
1. (a) Benguigui, Lucien. (2013). “The Different Paths to Entropy” (abs), European Journal of Physics, 34(2):303-.
(b) Nye, Bill. (1993). Bill Nye the Science Guy’s Big Blast of Science (pg. 50). Basic Books.
2. Email communication to Libb Thims (5 Feb 2013).
3. Lucien Benguigui – LinkedIn.
4. Groysman, Alec. (2011). “Use of Art Media in Engineering and Scientific Education” (§3.4: Human Chemistry), Generative Art Conference, XIV.
5. (a) Nordholm, Sture. (1997). “In Defense of Thermodynamics: an Animate Analogy” (Google Books), Journal of Chemical Education, 74: 273.
(b) Ben-Naim, Arieh. (2012). Entropy and the Second Law: Interpretation and Miss-Interpretationsss (Nordholm, pg. 39). World Scientific.
External links
● Lucien Benguigui (facuty) – Technion, Israel Institute of Technology.
