Winner of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1977, Ilya Prigogine shows how order and chaos can be reconciled in new and unexpected
ways.
Richard Feynman compared nature to a game of chess, with the difficulty being only on the surface as each move followed simple rules. The Chinese regarded the universe as being in natural harmony; Chinese men of science were officials who formed an integral part of the state and their main objective was to uphold law and order. But as randomness and complexity are entering into the world of science, we are discovering the limits of classical science. The author says we do not need to redefine science, but we need to plug some fundamental gaps in our knowledge.
In dynamics the same system can be studied from different points of view. Unlike dynamics where the only type of change is that of motion, there is a diversity of change in nature. Nature, as an evolving and interacting entity, can not be reduced to comply with this mechanical view of things. The phenomenon of nature can not be reduced to motions described by the laws of mechanics. And all natural processes can not be understood in terms of a set of equations alone.
Science was born out of man’s separation from nature. Man seemed to posess a unique place in creation as both a living and a knowing creature. But we are beginning to find a meeting point once again between nature and the human mind. It has been said that there is hardly any concept too extraordinary for nature to realize. Nature speaks with a thousand voices, and we have only begun to listen. Science only makes possible a dialogue with nature, it can not replace nature.
The author says that the more complex a system is, the greater the number of fluctuations that threaten its stability. But then, how can
systems as complex as human or ecological
structures possibly exist? How do they maintain stability and how do they avoid a descent into chaos? Much of this book is centered on the relationship and feedback mechanisms between microscopic and macroscopic structures, and how macroscopic structures emerge from microscopic events.
Can we use models to represent complex systems? In spite of its simplicity, the model shows some of the properties inherent in the evolution of complex systems. Our understanding of how a complex system responds to a given change is limited. Each individual action has a collective aspect that can result in unanticipated global changes. In complex systems both entities and their interactions are changed by evolution as well, thus rendering them unstable. The model is also affected by chance factors (factors uncontrolled by the model) such as place and time.
Nature is rich in diversity and innovation. The author says that biological, social and economic processes can not and should not be represented by using concepts and methods borrowed from the field of physics.