Order & Chaos

These are two heavy duty words. My definition of order for the purposes of this essay is predictability. In an orderly world, actions have predictable results, not necessarily the same every time, for example, the result of throwing dice is not the same each time but the odds for all possible outcomes are known. This is the world of Newtonian physics, the Clockwork Universe. Imperfections in reality (the pool table isn’t quite level, isn’t perfectly flat, the balls aren’t perfect spheres) cause variations in the results, but the model is good enough to play pool.

Chaos here is defined as unpredictability. The dice are thrown and turn into a pair of doves that fly off. Long term predictions of local weather and much in quantum physics is inherently unpredictable, but there are constraints on how unpredictable. Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle specifies limits on uncertainty in many quantum mechanics contexts, e.g. the position and energy of a photon.

A completely predictable (ordered) universe has no free will and no creativity, so nothing new. In a completely unpredictable universe, nothing lasts. Like the yin/yang symbol, there must be some unpredictability in order and predictability in the midst of chaos to be sustainable. Order is predictable and so comfortable. Chaos is unpredictable and so uncomfortable, but required for free will, invention, and creativity.

In Gensis, God brought forth order from the void/chaos, which was also God’s creation. That is what creatives do, reach into the chaos and bring forth something new

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