  We present a general formalism able to derive the kinetic equations of
polymer dynamics. It is based on the application of nonequilibrium
thermodynamics to analyze the irreversible processes taking place in the
conformational space of the macromolecules. The Smoluchowski equation results
from the analysis of the underlying diffusion process in that space within the
scheme of nonequilibrium thermodynamics. We apply the method to different
situations, concerning flexible, semiflexible and rod-like polymers and to the
case of more concentrated solutions in which interactions become important.
