Unpredictable Science

Like any school of thought, Chaos Theory has been shaped from the historical database of past human knowledge. It is from the countless contributions that mankind has shared and past down over time that has allowed for new growth and the continuous evolution necessary for survival. The internet is now the conduit that makes this rapid exchange of knowledge possible. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that our overall understanding of life is growing at an exponential rate. Old school Western Science is being forced to loosen up their pride belts and embrace some of the Ancient Eastern “mysticism” that most modern scientists scoffed at over the last centuries. Much of the belief in Chaos Theory requires an open mind to other possibilities beyond the tight framework of science that has limited our expansion of knowledge. The picture of God throwing dice has scared scientists and prevented many from breaking free of the physical laws that bound us to earth. Now that we have mathematical systems to model chaos, we are able to see the beauty in chance that makes possible the unpredictable relationships needed for evolution to continue. The primitive notion that the universe is a cosmic clock winding down due to thermodynamics no longer holds. Rather than the watch-smith winding up the clock and sitting back, Chaos believes that this Strange Attractor is pulling all of life together as well as creating it along the way.

Chaos Attractors

“At any given moment, life is completely senseless. But viewed over a period, it seems to reveal itself as an organism existing in time, having a purpose, trending in a certain direction.” This quote from Aldous Huxley is an excellent description of the philosophy of Chaos Theory. Chaos Theory is very multifaceted and requires a great deal of prior knowledge to fully understand. It believes in the existence of four forces or “attractors” that bring order out of a seemingly chaotic cosmos. Each of these attractors are rather abstract concepts that entail a significant amount a time and research to comprehend. Therefore, I will briefly define each attractor and its role in Chaos Theory. The Point Attractor is the simplest of the four forces and its domain is the first dimension (a line). It is what draws or repels objects to other objects. It is the pull that influences our choices/actions based on our likes and dislikes. The next is the Cycle Attractor, as the name suggest, is responsible for the cyclical patterns that govern literally everything. The Torus Attractor is similar to the Cycle Attractor in that it is based off of repetition. However, it has much more irregularity and exists primarily in the long run with respect to time. The last and most important of the four forces is the Strange Attractor. It is this bizarre force that allows for self organization which is the basis of Chaos Theory. It feeds off the numerical concept of zero which allows for the spontaneous unpredictability of life. It is responsible for gluing all matter together as it evolves over time. This oversimplified description of the chaotic forces is nowhere near enough information to logically make sense of Chaos Theory. I would recommend researching this rapidly growing school of thought in order to appreciate its scientific components. The title of this post is linked to a site that focuses on bridging the gap between science and religion. On the site, you can find all kinds of information on Chaos Theory including a more in depth explanation of the Four Attractors.