Any good sources to check out for "Chaos Theory"?

[Blaphbee]

I've seen this mentioned a few times 'round here, and I have no idea where to start.

Books or online suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks

[jcs]

I read a decent book about it in high school, which I had checked out from the library. The more important parts of the theory are pretty simple: if you knew everything about everything in the universe at a given instant, you would know where everything is going; butterfly effect; etc. It's determinism on a cosmic scale.
As for the book I read, I think this (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002V59V2/sr=1-1/qid=1139258494/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-7023526-3582552?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance) might be it, but I'm not sure.

[Fade the Butcher]

Jack would know.

[Blaphbee]

I read a decent book about it in high school, which I had checked out from the library. The more important parts of the theory are pretty simple: if you knew everything about everything in the universe at a given instant, you would know where everything is going; butterfly effect; etc. It's determinism on a cosmic scale.
As for the book I read, I think this (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002V59V2/sr=1-1/qid=1139258494/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-7023526-3582552?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance) might be it, but I'm not sure.
You're hilarious. Don't go changin', jackass.

:p

[Blaphbee]

Jack would know.
I've also seen Helios bring this up - basically, even if it's just a simple primer on it or a just a simple concept in general, I'm still interested.

[Helios Panoptes]

http://www.imho.com/grae/chaos/chaos.html
http://faraday.physics.utoronto.ca/PVB/Harrison/Chaos/Chaos.html

This (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0309063515/sr=1-3/qid=1139266221/ref=pd_bbs_3/102-7951382-8226559?%5Fencoding=UTF8) is an introductory book. So's this (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0631232516/ref=cm_lm_fullview_prod_2/102-7951382-8226559?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155). There are others, but they are not recommended unless you are a physics student.

[Anarch]

Helios has provided some pretty good stuff on it. The Ascent of Science by Brian L. Silver has a pretty good chapter on it (which is how I got introduced into it) but some of the other stuff on it (e.g. evolutionary theory) is a bit outdated.

[Blaphbee]

Thanks for the recommendations all. I will look into these at my earliest convenience.

(if I can open up the topic a bit) What's the relevance of chaos theory anyhow? I see it referenced a lot in arguments, but I've never quite understood the significance?

Any more help for a guy? :o

[Ahknaton]

Jeff Goldblum gives an explanation in Jurassic Park when he's riding in that Jeep with that chick. That's what I base my understanding on. :D

Or you could read a book on fractal mathematics.

[Anarch]

Thanks for the recommendations all. I will look into these at my earliest convenience.

(if I can open up the topic a bit) What's the relevance of chaos theory anyhow? I see it referenced a lot in arguments, but I've never quite understood the significance?

Any more help for a guy? :o

Jeff Goldblum's elaboration in Jurassic Park isn't too bad actually.

Chaos theory's relevance is... hmmm...

If you understand the rules of a system, and all the variables, and can fill the variables with empirical data, you can predict.

Two major problems: sensitivity to initial conditions (slightest error in empirical data can result in wildly incorrect predictions, hence a butterfly flaps its wings and causes a tornado in Texas), and knowledge of the rules. To follow the logic of Karl Popper, man cannot learn what is True, but only what is wrong. Pragmatism under constant revision by means of experimentation. We'll never know when we've got the truth perfectly set, because the increasing rarity of errors (say we find a theory and have no errors for ten thousand years, we might proclaim its truth - but we might have an error in the theory the next morning).

Chaos theory as a metaphysics, of sorts. Man is determined through it. Man is, chaos theory, but chaos theory is only partly man :D

My pet project since I was fourteen is to try and learn the rules of human functioning. Whether you find chaos theory useful or not is another question. It's been used to explain errors in predicting weather systems and a bunch of other things too.

[Laaien]

The Bush Admin is a great place to observe, you'll find LOTS of examples.

[Anarch]

Wow. Long time no see, Laaien. Johnson said you have a big ass btw.

[Laaien]

Jewson might just be correct.

Then again, he might not.

However, i dont know who the fuck you are... but thats all cool.

[Péter]

We'll never know when we've got the truth perfectly set, because the increasing rarity of errors (say we find a theory and have no errors for ten thousand years, we might proclaim its truth - but we might have an error in the theory the next morning).

Improbability of knowing truth absolutely is elucidated fairly succinctly by the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. This is explained well here (http://zebu.uoregon.edu/~imamura/208/jan27/hup.html). From this one can understand Evola's critique of science never actually knowing anything, as it reduces all such empirical knowledge to a matter of probabilities.