6/22/2023 0 Comments Chaos by james gleick review![]() ![]() ![]() In his treatment, the borderline between mathematics and real systems becomes blurred, to say the least, while the mathematical content of the new developments remains somewhat obscure. His claim that chaos theory is the new paradigm for science should, at least at this stage, be viewed with considerable caution. ![]() Gleick’s book, for example, asserts such connections far too glibly, glossing over the complex relations between theory, model and real system. Moreover, the connection between the mathematical formalism of chaos theory and events in the real world is considerably more problematic than is often implied in general expositions. While not without precedent, this is an unusual situation for a subject that is concerned first and foremost with developments in mathematics, some of which are, in fact, of fairly mature vintage. footnote 3 Terms from chaos theory, such as ‘butterfly effect’ and ‘strange attractor’, have entered the common vocabulary, though not always used very precisely. Science writer James Gleick’s book on the subject has become a bestseller, footnote 2 there have been numerous articles in the general press and programmes on television, and New Scientist ran an extensive series of weekly articles on the relevance of chaos theory to a range of disciplines. T here is currently a great deal of excitement about the notion of chaos. It is difficult for professional scientists, much less the general public, to distinguish excessive hype from solid scientific achievement. ![]()
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