In sociological thermodynamics, Douglas R. White (1942-) is an American anthropologist noted for teaching a thermodynamics principles for the social sciences course at the University of California, Irvine in circa 2000. White is member of the Santa Fe Institute. White’s general view is as such: [1]

“Hierarchical systems are ubiquitous in nature and society. They require variably long time scales for the interactions among their diverse elements to unwind towards thermodynamic equilibrium. The unwinding of long-span (e.g. solar) systems fuels the wind-up of shorter-span (e.g. living) systems. Stacks of such complex systems comprise the universe - physical, biological, and social - as we know it.”

In addition, "life", according to White, "is a special case of self-organizing systems where it is thermodynamic stacking that is doing the organization.” In outlining human chemical bonding, White states: [2]

“If we consider atomism as a system that is difficult to break up, an experimental observation equally applicable to social groups and social bonds, there is energy in the bonding of atomic constitution, and when that bonding is broken that energy is released.”

In giving these statements, Whites references the 1977 thermodynamics of complex systems theories of American physicists H. Soodak and A. Iberall. [3]

References
1. White, Douglas. (2000). “Thermodynamic Principles for the Social Sciences: an Introduction (class links)”, University of California, Irvine.
2. Anthro 179A: Social Dynamics an Self Organizing Systems, Winter 2000.
3. (a) Soodak, H. and Iberall, A. (1987). “Thermodynamics of Complex Systems” (ch. 24: pgs. 459-69) and “A Physics for Complex Systems” (ch. 27: pgs. 499-520) in: Self-Organizing Systems: the Emergence of Order, Plenum.
(b) Iberall, A. and Soodak, H. (1978). “Physics Basis for Complex Systems: Some Propositions Relating Levels of Organization”, Collective Phenomena, 3: 9-24.

External links
● White, Douglas (1942-) – WorldCat Identities.
● Douglas White (faculty) – University of California, Irvine.