The course will follow the interconnecting themes of chaos in cosmology, physics, metaphysics, social/political theory and artistic creativity. We will begin with the modern science of Chaos Theory, then explore Ancient mythologies through to modern forms of political and social chaos.

DELIVERY MODE

• Face-to-Face / Online

SUGGESTED READING

• James Gleick. Chaos: Making a New Science
• Mark Edwards. (2022) Chaos, Cosmos and Creation in Early Greek Theogonies: An Ontological Exploration.  London, Bloomsbury Academic.  
• Klaas, Brian. (2024.) Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters? Avid Reader.
• Fred Damon. (2005). On the Order of Chaos Social Anthropology and the Science of Chaos. Licensed Published by Berghahn Books.
• Kathleen Sears (2013). Mythology 101: from gods and goddesses to monsters and mortals, your guide to ancient mythology. Bloomfield, London.

COURSE OUTLINE

• The meaning of the word/concept of ‘chaos’ will itself be an issue for the course. In the first few weeks we will look at contemporary Chaos Theory and the meaning of terms such as ‘randomness’, ‘chance’ and ‘fractals'.
• The Cosmic Dance: How Chaos Influenced Ancient Cosmology. We will look at a range of Ancient cultures
• The Psychology of Pattern Seeking: Humans often attribute outcomes to regularity and order, even when chance and contingency have been repeatedly shown to be at least as causally significant. In his new book (2024) Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters, Brian Klaas raises this issue again in our contemporary context.
• Science of Chaos Theory. Chaos theory describes how small changes to a complex system’s initial conditions can produce dramatically different outcomes. The butterfly effect was most prominently researched by meteorologist.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Gained an overall understanding of the key concepts in the philosophy of Chaos, its science, psychology, history and development.
2. Gained insight into the implications of “disorder” for the human condition as expressed by our thought patterns, language, intentionality, creativity and much more.
3. Participated in shared discussions with fellow students on how life’s unpredictability, chance, and accidents effect the trajectory of our lives.
4. Related these ideas to the students’ personal lives, social and relationship situations and broad cultural issues.