Opus 2024-244: So Many Theories, So Few Facts

Or perhaps it should be summarized the opposite way.  Have you ever had the feeling that there is so much to know that could be interesting and you just don’t have the time or energy to get into it?

As I was meditating on God being eminent, which means he is involved in our day-to-day lives in an intimate way, the term “chaos theory” popped into my mind, and so I did a little search and some simple reading about what chaos theory involves.  I thought thought chaos theory was trying to make sense out of the chaos in the universe.  In reality it’s simply another form of behaviorism or Calvinism, which says that everything is predetermined.  OK, that sounds good.  I disagree with it but it sounds good.  It doesn’t mix well with the idea of an almighty God created man in his image and gave them free will.  Of course those are my beliefs.

Then I got to thinking about this idea that has been expressed that you can’t know both the location and the speed of particles in space.  That’s a crude summary but you get the idea.  Then you add that this idea that by merely observing something you change it.  I don’t understand how those concepts could work with chaos theory.

The popular summary of chaos theory involves the idea that a butterfly flapping his wings in Brazil could cause a tornado in Kansas.  That is close to how it is stated.  The idea is that if the butterfly flaps its wings differently then the tornado is changed.  That seems to be the source of the chaos.  However, if everything is predetermined, the butterfly will not flap its wings differently, therefore, there is no chaos.  All is well and perfectly predetermined.  In the real world, there will be other butterflies, making decisions or grasshoppers, deciding to jump or not to jump.  In the real world that would be so many different possibilities that deterministic analysis will be impossible.

There are times when I wish I could sit down with a cup of coffee or a refillable, soft drink, and go at these ideas, tooth and nail with someone else.  I don’t think it will happen, but I can always hope.

homo unius libri