A Thermodynamic Variational Principle in Nonlinear Non-Equilibrium Phenomena

From a far-sighted viewpoint for a nonlinear non-equilibrium system including the reservoirs a principle of maximum increasing rate of the total entropy is proposed to describe non-equilibrium steady as well as non-steady phenomena. The conditions for the validity of this postulate are discussed and the principle was compared with Prigogine's general evolution criterion and minimum excess entropy production principle.