The Theory Of Chaos Or When The Flapping Of A Butterfly Changes Everything

We all know the so-called butterfly effect. That theory is part of the essence of chaos theory, a law enunciated by James Yorke that reminds us of something essential. The world does not follow a millimeter and predictable pattern; Whether we like it or not, chaos also inhabits our lives, that small space for chance where it is almost impossible to predict the effect of certain events.

It is common to associate the theory of the case with the original branches: mathematics and physics. However, we often forget that these sciences have a direct implication in our daily lives.

In fact, few paradigms have had such a direct impact on many of our areas of behavior and knowledge. What’s more, James Yorke himself summarizes the importance of his theory in a simple sentence: you have to be prepared to change your plans at any time .

Now,  each of us has a degree of tolerance for uncertainty. From a point on, our brain goes into “alert mode” against what may happen.

We prefer stability, knowing that two and two are four and what surrounds us and we have today will continue to be with us tomorrow. All this gives us that emotional balance with which we enjoy having everything under control.

However, chaos theory leaves us evidence of evidence. Life and its flow do not respond to the rhythmic and perfect advance of a clock. The unpredictable and uncontrollable always dwells between / in us.

It is that sword of Damocles that can fall at any moment. It is that butterfly that flutters in the United States today and later arrives in Europe in the form of an economic crisis. It is that cue ball that we hit in the billiard and that makes the rest of the balls sometimes scatter in unexpected directions …

Chaos theory: nature is unpredictable

Chaos theory tells us in a nutshell that the outcome of an event depends on different variables. Those whose behavior we cannot always predict with total accuracy. There is always a margin of error, a space for chance, a flutter that changes everything at the last moment. Because sometimes, a small difference generates an effect of great proportions, the one whose hallmark is printed by every chaotic system.

Some say that chaos theory configures one of the most wonderful fields in modern mathematics. Which is the science that attempts to predict the behavior of inherently unpredictable systems.

We can already assume what something like this meant in its day for almost any area of ​​knowledge. Let’s not forget that until recently the very purpose of the scientific world was to eliminate the variable of “uncertainty” in order to accurately describe the behavior of almost anything.

However, today that margin is accepted where chance and the unpredictable can, at a given moment, change everything. In fact, this is what the meteorologist and mathematician discovered

Edward Lorenz in 1961 when he tried to create a computer system to predict the weather. Suddenly he realized that, due to a rounding error in the numbers, the entire system had begun to show clearly unpredictable behavior. Later, this experience would help him to formulate the famous butterfly effect.

Chaos dwells among us constantly

Chaotic phenomena abound not only in nature, they also occur in weather forecasts or even in biology. There is no area that is exempt from such unpredictable behavior.

To that needle hole where, at a given moment, chance and the golden thread of the unpredictable are threaded. Thus, all these chaotic phenomena occur every day almost without our realizing it in economics, in thermodynamics, in astronomy and even in psychology.

Today we know that any small disturbance in our brain (such as an alteration in a neurotransmitter) can lead to very drastic changes in our behavior. Moreover, in psychiatry the theory of chaos is also assumed. Sometimes when a drug is administered to a patient there is a small probability that the observed effect will be the opposite of the expected effect.

How to apply chaos theory in everyday life?

In our day to day we all try to avoid chaos. Only in this way do we feel safe, only in this way can we build lives where the predictable allows us to leave home without fear, where we can look to the future with confidence. Now, as James Yorke, father of this theory, explains, it is best to be prepared to change plans at any time. 

Somehow, this principle has a lot to do with another current theory. We are talking about the “black swan” principle, enunciated by the essayist, economist and mathematician Nassim Nicholas Taleb.

In his recommended book, which bears the same title as his theory, he reminds us that most of us are subject to a vision of the world where everything seems predictable at first glance. However, at a certain moment the strange, the chaotic arises … that event that we did not expect. An unpredictable event that we are forced to assume and rationalize.

However, instead of having to act when that chaos already opens before us, the ideal would be to be prepared. James Yorke reminds us that people who achieve success and happiness are those who always have a plan “B” in their pocket.

Let’s make an effort to develop a flexible mindset and an approach that doesn’t just react to events. But to assume them with curiosity and acceptance. Because many times it is in chaos that opportunities arise. Being prepared for the unforeseen is after all, moving with the ups and downs of life.