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Cover of Social Physics and a Theory of Everything

Social Physics and a Theory of Everything

by Tim Delaney

Book Details

Publisher:McFarland
Published:2025-05-15
Pages:303
Format:BOOK
Language:en

Reading Info

About This Book

Social physics is a field that combines the academic disciplines of physics and sociology. Attempting a "theory of everything" from the social physics perspective provides us with the advantage of utilizing the knowledge already gained from the field of physics on certain matters, such as the properties of the forces of nature, while the field of sociology provides us with great insights into the role and actions of human behavior. This book uses social physics to address major questions of huma

Our Review

This ambitious work bridges the gap between physics and sociology, offering a framework for understanding human behavior through the lens of natural forces and social dynamics. Tim Delaney applies principles from physics to explore fundamental questions about why people act as they do, creating what he terms "social physics" to analyze everything from individual decisions to large-scale societal patterns. The book systematically examines how concepts like gravitational attraction and energy conservation might parallel human relationships and social structures, providing a fresh perspective on age-old sociological questions.

What makes this approach compelling is its ability to translate abstract physical concepts into tangible social insights, making complex theories accessible without oversimplifying either discipline. Readers interested in interdisciplinary studies, particularly those fascinated by how scientific principles might illuminate human nature, will find this synthesis thought-provoking. The social physics methodology challenges conventional boundaries between hard sciences and social sciences, offering a unified perspective that could reshape how we understand everything from personal interactions to global social movements.

Themes

Social Science

Subjects

Social Science