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Philosophical Science

Chaos & An Unpredictable Tomorrow

Peter Saltzstein finds that Chaos Theory yields unexpected philosophical results.

The future is not what it used to be. I mean, an intriguing implication of the branch of mathematics called chaos theory is that the future states of complex dynamical systems such as the weather, the human brain, the stock market, evolution, and history itself, are not what we once thought them to be. Specifically, chaos theory suggests that the behavior of complex systems can follow laws and yet their future states remain in principle unpredictable. The behavior of complex systems is exquisitely sensitive to conditions, so that small changes at the start can result in ever larger changes over time. Hence, chaos theory implies that the future is not predictable based on past events, as it used to be thought to be.

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