Sheep magazine Archive 2: issues 10-17

In 1963 one of Lorenz’s colleagues
remarked that if he was right, ‘one flap of
a seagull’s wings would be enough to alter
the weather forever’. In 1972, in the title of
a paper, Lorenz asked ‘Does the flap of a
butterfly’s wings in Brazil set off a tornado
in Texas?’ Thus chaos theory found its
popular name: the butterfly effect. Of
course, the flap of a single butterfly’s wings
does not cause the tornado on its own –
numerous other factors play their part.
But that one flap can be (to change the
metaphor) the straw that breaks the camel’s
back.
Chaos theory can also usefully explain
mood, effect and actions in societies,
possibly even one day correctly predicting
revolutinary situations. So far any
investigation in this area seems only to
provide cause/effect reasons for change
in hindsight, however already history is
able to suggest favourable conditions for
positive or negative change, and once
crucial variables are properly identified,
who knows?
In the meantime ... the struggle
continues!
38
Despite its name, chaos theory is rigorously
mathematical and has helped to elucidate
the hidden order that underlies a host of
apparently random systems – from the
factors precipitating epileptic fits to the
air turbulence that causes drag in moving
vehicles, and from fluctuations in wild
animal populations to the flow of traffic on
congested city streets.
SHEEP IN THE ROAD : NUMBER TEN