A General Sociological Interpretation of Bénard Convection and B-Z Reaction ——Social Operation, Civilizational Evolution, and the Essence of Science and Technology from the Perspective of Dissipative Structure Theory

Based on Prigogine’s dissipative structure theory, this paper takes Bénard convection (Rayleigh–Bénard convection) and the B-Z reaction (Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction) as dual-core models to construct a unified analytical framework for social operation and civilizational evolution. Bénard convection describes the social structure, class distribution, and vitality state at a single spatial–temporal section, while the B-Z reaction explains social cycles, steady-state transitions, and economic crises along the long-term temporal axis. This paper highlights the core mechanism of critical phase transitions: only when a social system breaks through the critical threshold of energy or wealth input can it shift between a relatively low-temperature steady state and a relatively high-temperature steady state. This paper also provides thermodynamic definitions of science and technology and clarifies that distributional equity determines the emergence of science, the application of technology, and the leap of social energy levels. A complete general sociological framework is formed to explain social structure, class mobility, national rise and decline, and economic crises.