Chaos and its misshaped order

“I say unto you: one must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star. I say unto you: you still have chaos in yourselves.” – Nietzsche

Unlike mere disorder, chaos theory ventures into the enigmatic realm of transition between order and disorder, often unfolding in unexpected and intriguing ways. Order or Disorder Chaos is not simply disorder; chaos explores the transitions between order and disorder, which often occur in surprising ways. Imagine you have a simple system, like a pendulum swinging back and forth. In a predictable and orderly system, you would expect the pendulum to swing at regular intervals. However, in chaos theory, every small change, like a tiny push at the start or a slight variation in the environment, can cause the pendulum’s motion to become incredibly erratic and unpredictable; reminding us that even seemingly chaotic systems may have underlying order and structure, teaching us to appreciate the complexity and interconnectedness of the world around us.

German philosopher Nietzsche (1844-1900) famously stated, “Out of chaos comes a dancing star”, which reflects his ideas on “self-overcoming” and “becoming”. Here, Nietzsche associates “chaos” with an intrinsic dissatisfaction that fuels the pursuit of self-improvement and personal growth. Essentially, he suggests that one must embrace chaos within oneself to unleash creativity and achieve personal transformation. Nietzsche’s interpretation of chaos aligns with the concept of the will to power, portraying it as the fundamental essence of existence. He views chaos as synonymous with individual creativity, which, when pursued through self-awareness, leads to the emergence of a “dancing star” – a unique and meaningful contribution to the world, accompanied by a profound sense of fulfilment. Thus, it is fitting that Nietzsche also expressed the idea that “out of chaos, comes order”, highlighting how chaos can help change and improve both individuals and societies.

One of the principles of chaos theory is “The Butterfly Effect”; the idea that small things can have non-linear impacts on a complex system (ie: our Universe). The concept is imagined with a butterfly flapping its wings one one side of the world and causing a typhoon on the other side, hence its name “The Butterfly Effect”. Another principle is “unpredictability”, because we can’t know every little detail about a complicated system, we cannot accurately predict what will happen. Even tiny mistakes in measuring how things are at this very moment can lead to big mistakes later on. It is, therefore, hard to keep track of all the small things that might affect the outcome, like the flapping of butterflies’ wings – hence we cannot accurately predict the weather far in advance. Furthermore, when a system is turbulent, things get mixed up quickly; even if two water molecules start close together, they may end up far apart in the ocean. This principle is known as “mixing” and happens at all levels. Lastly, the principle of a pattern that never stop repeating, known as “Fractals” – complex and similar looking (no matter how much you zoom in or out), made by doing the same thing over and over again (Fractals are common attributes in nature – e.g. trees, rivers, coastlines, mountains, and even in things like clouds and hurricanes). Ultimately, chaos theory helps us understand phenomena that appear random but actually follow certain patterns, making it relevant across all fields in life.

The founder of Chaos Theory is Edward Lorenz, an American mathematician and meteorologist who accidentally found “chaotic behaviour” in the model he called the Lorenz equations, which he proceeded to study as the dynamics of atmospheric convection in the early 1960s. In other words, he was working with a system of equations to predict what the weather would likely be. In 1961, he wanted to recreate a past weather sequence, but he began the sequence midway and printed out only the first three decimal places instead of the full six (crazy stuff I know right). This radically changed the sequence, which could be assumed to closely mirror the original sequence with only the slight change of three decimal places. It is a controversial and complicated theory that has been used to explain some features of systems that have traditionally been challenging to accurately model. In fact, financial markets fall into this category with the additional benefit of a rich set of historical data. One interesting financial phenomenon that chaos theory can help illustrate is how seemingly healthy financial markets can suffer sudden shocks and crashes. So, there is order to chaos. Although the theory emphasises the inherent unpredictability of certain systems, it also highlights the presence of order, structure, and patterns within the chaos.

In conclusion, chaos theory creates a profound lens through which to perceive the intricate dynamics of our world. It delves into the unknown realm where order seamlessly transitions into disorder, conveying patterns and structures that seem obscured by chaos. As Nietzsche outlines, out of chaos emerges the potential for profound transformation and creative expression of the individual. The principles of chaos theory, from the Butterfly Effect to the concept of Fractals, shed light on the underlying order within seemingly random phenomena, encouraging a better grasp of how everything is connected in our lives. Despite the inherent unpredictability of certain systems, chaos theory reminds us that amidst chaos, there exists an order and structure waiting to be deciphered. Thus, chaos theory not only enriches our comprehension of the world but also serves as a testament to the resilience and coherence that underlie the seemingly chaotic fabric of our reality.