Thu, 1 Dec 1994 23:49:01 -0800 for From: lichter@nicco.sscnet.ucla.edu (Michael Lichter) Date: Thu, 1 Dec 1994 23:48:56 +0000 To: "T R. Young" <34LPF6T@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU> Subject: Re: Causality, Chaos and Postmodern Phil/Sci T.R., et. al., My understanding of Chaos Theory (CT) is that it provides a framework for understanding the complex behavior of *deterministic* (physical) *systems*. Even relatively simple systems which operate according to fixed rules can display complex patterns of behavior which are for all practical purposes unpredictable. Ben Goertzel (Ted's son) calls choas "deterministic unpredictability." My question to you is: are you arguing that human society (or some subset thereof) meets the assumptions of CT (that it is a chaotic system in the CT sense), or are you saying instead that while human society is not a CT-type chaotic system, CT can help us imagine explanations for social phenomena? Personally, I think that if anything is non-deterministic, then human behavior is. I am skeptical that CT has anything to offer for understanding society because society does not operate according to CT rules. Michael -- Michael Lichter -----------------------------+ Department of Sociology | University of California, Los Angeles ---------------------------------------+