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This book highlights the threefold consilience of sociology, thermodynamics, and the game theory of metaphorical hawks and doves. In a mixed population of social or ethnic groups, segregation into separate colonies is commonly observed in economically hard times. In more affluent times, the groups co-exist in a homogeneous mix.This social phenomenon can be modeled by a plausible game of hawks and doves who compete for a resource, because the competition affords gain and status for the birds. The rules of the game reveal that segregation may be beneficial for both species. This situation is akin to thermodynamics of a watery sugar solution where, at low temperature, it is energetically favourable for both constituents to segregate, so that the sugar forms a solid phase at the bottom of a cup. In the long run, social evolution will lead the population to a homogeneous mix with an optimal composition of hawks and doves.

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9781527537668

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Ingo Müller is Professor Emeritus of Thermodynamics at the Technical University of Berlin. His research interests encompass all areas of thermodynamics during several decades, including physical, chemical, and engineering aspects. He has received several honors and prizes for his research, including an honorary doctorate from the University of Darmstadt, Germany, and the Leibniz Award of the German Science Foundation. His publications include several books on thermodynamics as well as about 300 scientific articles.

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