Wednesday, April 23, 2008

chaos theory

Every cell in the body is only one cell away from a nerve or from the blood supply. The complexity of the nervous system and the circulatory system (amongst others) is beyond comprehension.


When I was in high-school we learned that atoms were comprised of protons, neutrons and electrons and that these were the smallest things there were. But later we learned that these tiny particles were comprised of smaller particles and those of other smaller particles and so on. There is no end to this process.

If we wanted to measure the coastline of an island we could do so with a large map and bit of string. If we got a 100m tape-measure and measured the actual rocks at the waterline the increase in detail would be huge and the measurement would be greater. What if we measured each rock at ever decreasing molecular levels? The coastline of the island would nearly approach the infinite.


The world, the universe, everything is infinitely detailed. Nothing can ever be measured to a level of infallability. This is chaos theory. Chaos theory says that ultimately the universe is unknowable.

And my point? My point is for those who think they understand the world and are its masters. They are wrong. However great their understanding of the world (by way of human affairs) their knowledge will always be incomplete. As another metaphor, let's say your average mug-punter understands the world in round numbers and that those who imagine they are the world's masters might understand things to three decimal places. Doubtless, this impresses them. And it would impress me too if this knowledge was put to good use instead of impoverishing, enslaving and starving people. But the fact is that those metaphorical three decimal places are not enough.


A butterfly can make a thunderstorm. Were one to kill all the butterflies, sooner or later a bee would do the job. Perhaps one could employ super-computers to predict thunderstorms and spend one's life ducking and weaving to avoid this lethal force of nature. But eventually this effort too will fail. No computer, no matter how 'super', will ever accurately predict the weather.

The thunderstorm above is a metaphor for nemesis. Nemesis is the response to hubris. There is no nemesis for those nominated in the beatitudes. Were the bankers to expend their time, money and energy improving the lot of mankind, the thunderstorms they fear would be just another marvel of nature. They could grab a beer, sit on the verandah and enjoy the show - nobody's favourite pastime.


Speaking of marvels of nature, an image of a tiger fills my head. The bankers choose not to marvel at the tiger. They choose to ride it and subject it to their will. Such a hatred of nature is in the DNA of these masters of the world. But no one can ride a tiger forever. The only creature that can do so is a flea. And it might be a very clever flea too: it can direct the tiger; it can weaken the tiger and prevent it from removing the flea; and when the tiger dies it can migrate to another tiger. But it's still a flea, a flea that imagines it's greater than God. And God spare us such a self-impressed idiotic creature.

And one day the tiger will, perhaps even by accident, scrape off its flea. On a day unpredicted, a single impossible thunderstorm will come out of nowhere and, in a spirit of perfect impartiality, fulfil its role. For the first time in millennia the fourth decimal place will be the one that counts. Thinking twenty, thirty, forty moves ahead in a chess game is not enough for a world that is infinite. This is chaos theory. Not that we really needed it. The Buddha said it all thousands of years ago and he did it with five words - the only certainty is change.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ugh?
Tony

Anonymous said...

Too much Jurassic Park in your younger years mate.
With all this confusing talk about chaos theory
To settle my mind and have my eyes return to their proper place in their sockets
All I must do is think fractal thoughts...
There, that's better.
Tony

nobody said...

Hee hee,

Press your fingers against your eyes mate. Same same.

There was chaos theory in Jurassic Park? Actually I got into it by reading Chaos by James Gleick, which I recommend to all. It came out about the same time as Hawking's A Brief History of Time. One was worth reading and one wasn't, ha ha.

Anonymous said...

We are farmers in the Australian bush and I really noticed during the '90s how my friends and family in the city became totally disconnected from nature and they thought they were masters and controllers of nature with their technology. I felt I was living in a different world from them.

kikz said...

cripez.... hawking was a tuff read, last decade... i should revisit it.

3 of my fav references for micro/macro which i guess encompasses chaos theory..

horton hears a who

the alien marble game at the end of MIB

and...
i've always imagined... the hubble someday returning the giant image of alfred e. newman grinning back at us, it would explain a lot >:)

any of ya seen the pbs 'elegant universe' series?
string theory.

annemarie said...

Nerds!
ha,aha







actually don't have time to read it properly now, will return tho, looks promising.

Nerds! lol

nobody said...

Hey annemarie, if you had pigtails I'd pull 'em! And serve you right, too. And kikz, did you read the whole thing? Wow. You're in a small minority you know. I'd guess that Hawking's book would have topped the list of Books Most Likely To Be Given Up On. Gleick's Chaos, on the other hand is heavily anecdotal, easy to read and just too bloody fascinating.

Hey VC,
Yup, I used to be one of those guys. No longer, of course. The cleverness of the city is an illusion, a bubble waiting to pop. But that ain't nothing. The hubris I'm talking about makes the drones of the city look like dimwits. I know it's a heavy download but to understand what I'm on about, you need to see The Money Masters on googlevideo. It's about the US, sure, but Australia is the same. Everything you understand about banking will be blown to smithereens. Try and see it.

Otherwise do you get any interesting birdlife out your way? Nutty birdwatcher, me.

nobody said...

Also kikz,

I just wanted to say I was enthralled by your bit about Freemasons the other day over at Les'. I've wondered at them for a while but didn't know much about them.

Up till now I've merely grouped them under my logic that any secret organisation that isn't founded in a spirit of wickedness will almost certainly end up that way. I also wondered if they weren't a bunch of delusional types labouring under unseen masters who possess an entirely different agenda, if you can dig it. But really I've no idea.

What's your take? I'd love to hear it.

Anonymous said...

kikz05
Yes with the 'elegant universe' series - the problem there is when you get to the stringy thingy there are about 5 equally valid theory's isn't there?
I'll have to watch it again for more info.
I know this doesn't make sense but I feel if we ever get to ‘know’, infinity will come into play there. Whatever (unknown)<--strings… atom and components… planetary systems… galaxies… universes-->whatever (unknown). And again it makes no sense I think time will be a common component of everything maybe as a catalyst. That’s my 42 answer.
I just read somewhere an experiment was performed where the same atomic component (quark, photon – don’t know some sub atomic particle) occupied two positions at the same time – across a river or something. So basically that’s the beginning of teleportation isn’t it?
Tony

kikz said...

hawking! ack! i think i remb finishing it.. but had to skip sections... the math renderz me zombified. i was an odd kid.. i could pass an algebra test w/o crackin a book, but it didn't interest me.. i'd rather of read sweet will. i understand that math is in everything we do and are, but couldn't make the mental leap to use it....translate or situationally plug real life variables into the quadratic equation to apply it in/to everyday life.
seemed quite useless to me. and there i stopp'd w/it.
i just have to intuit. i either get things.. or i don't. i'm lazy. my mama, who can't read or really understand sweet will or the like.. boneheaded her way thru differential equations, and until she ran out of money/time acquired 3/4 of an ME degree.

most of my strengths lie in abilities leanin toward the sciences, bio, phyisio, medical minutia etc., which make perfect sense to me, but the higher math.. sigh.. that closed off all too many left brained career avenues..

my intuitive right brain almost effortlessly leans toward languages, arcana, artsy stuff.

anyway... i find sagan a much easier read.. he's a hero of mine:) but the math still kicks me. dragon's of eden is a good, short read.

i'll hafta chk out gleick's chaos :)

kikz said...

oh cripez.. i hope this doesn't post twice.. i did some slicing.. i hope this the only longwinded version of it that does post... eyeroll..

ah.. freemasonry... well...
arcana.. which makes your eyes glaze, and brain stall. i'll try to be brief... won't be eaZy >:)

as a one liner:
freemasonry is - free thought & reasoned freewill ... the eternal enemy of tyranny in any form it seeks - to enslave the mind and body of man. oh, and do others some good too :)
you'll find that bit, inre tyranny cut in stone, round the inside of jefferson's rotunda in DC.

in three words: les visible's writings. :)

so.....i'm biased. long familial/cultural history w/it, up to my daddy, and now i'm continuing it to my kids :) i've studied it for 8yrs and the ride has been incredible, the kewlest thing i've ever found, and has led me thru all ages of history. kind of a cross btwn bilbo baggins - there are back again. and a sort of burke's connections/day the univ changed epic quest. :)

my keystone, has been uncle albert. albert pike, grand commander, US southern jurisdiction, A.A.S.R; Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite..... he was also a general in the confederate army. his tome, Morals & Dogma circa 1870's was given to apprentices going thru their scottish rite "degrees" 1-32, from shortly after the civil war until 1970's. daddy's copy came to me at his death. i'd always been curious about the craft, and daddy was always quite vague, as freemasons are known to be. growin up....all i knew.... of the lodge/temple... they made kickass BBQ! since i've studied it.. i now know i've lived and breathed it my entire life :)

M&D is a study of world history, comparative religion, archaeoastronomy/astrology, politics, freemasonry, philosophy, ethics, geometry, physics and metaphysics. uncle al, was one smartly autodidactic dude... but his style is cryptic and florid even for his time, offputting for most.
but to sum up..the book........
micro/macro ...chaos to cosmos, and humanity's place in it. sprinkle w/xtianity..... yada..

what i call 'freemasonry'.. its mark is virtually everywhere. it resonates as a constant throughout world history and culture. anytime you hear a timeless lesson of moral or ethical value... you could safely say.. that's freemasonry.. or more specifically its precepts. thru most all religions and most all cultures.....from the the giza plateau to the library of alexandria, buddha, the vedas, the druid... to the reformation/protestant enlightenment, the renaissance to harry potter........ to name only a few... freemasonry and or rosicrucianism (rose cross) ALL under diff names. anytime throughout history you witness truth and light..... its a match..... no matter the name... it has a thousand names, and thousands of faces..
one of those faces/names..... in essence.. les viz :)

JC is said to've said.. by their deeds shall ye know them. i've never found anything institutionally 'evil'. no talmudic fuk everybody but us, no xtian orig sin, or we 'only' hav the truth and to find god you have to beg us for him and swallow whatever we say... or we torture and burn you....... no eat shit now, have 72virgins on the other side.

freemasonry's deeds, and attitude toward humanity thru the ages say it all to me...again and again..the message......
look w/in eternal being, follow the light.. do right. above all, find what rings true to you, reject the rest.

what other system/institution/fraternity or religion allows such free choice?

however...... all institutions have polarity, as do all things in the material realm. y, there are always elements i refer to as "selfserv" ..the darkside.. left handed path......evil if you will.. that utilize power structures to their profit, of course freemasonry is not immune, there is no institution on earth which is. but... and that's a huge word.. in this instance i have found no 'evil' in their writings or their works that are known to history. everything...... is geared toward elevating humanity and self toward the creator. you can follow that thru time and culture.

only requirements for membership in any lodge worldwide... one must admit belief in a supreme being.. you don't even have to name it. could be the flying spaghetti monster :) could be the 'architect of the universe', what ever you choose to call your version of the creator.. and be of good moral character......that's it in totality. the only outfit i know of that requires you name your deity.. is york rite, those are the templars.

the only elitist blot i can find, in the US orders, at one time required the candidate to be "freeborn" which excluded bond slaves of any race during their indenture, and true chattel (black) slaves, so the blacks were given their own lodges.. so to speak. as i understand, the freeborn requirement has been null & void since the emancipation, but predominately black lodges still exist here and the carib - as what is known as prince hall freemasonry, they are 'regular' & recognized by the US & world councils/authorities.

the only selfserv - contemporary 'irregular' outfits i've found so far - are not recognized by world lodge authorities, and w/good reason.
P2, italian mafia bankers to the vatican..
and OTGD, order of the golden dawn crowley's outfit..which as i understand their creed and only law.......
'do what thou will'... no moral brake there at all, thaz a big nono.

hope this helps..

nobody said...

Yeah, interesting,

Mind you I often find upon learning a thing, such as this, is that one's merely swapped one variety of ignorance for another, if you can dig it. Complete understanding still eludes me. Of course! Still, onwards and upwards.

Otherwise mate, that was cool. Thanks.

kikz said...

tony :)

teleportation? newp.. that would be transport something from one designated point in space to another.. i think this is more..
separated parts of a thing behave as if the extra space isn't there no matter the size of the separation in space???.. shrugz??? can't remb the coined terminology for it though....

i gotta rewatch elegant univ.. i can't remb.. how it was settled on that there were '11' overlapping dimensions...? funny the number 11 doesn't fit any other significant 'arcane' number.. hmmmm... well, other than... if added.. 1+1=2
that would be "The Duad"...

but....numerology is sooooooo heeb i won't even bother w/researching it.. burn out i guess....>:P

sheesh tryin to 'splain the above makez me wanna press on my eyes til i see those colored geometric moving shapes... like when i was a kid :) heehee!
niterz y'all :)

nobody said...

Aaargh!

I promise that this is the last time I write about anything maths connected.

I've decided I'm numeral dyslexic. I read at a page a minute but numbers seem to leap about in my head. One's as good as another. So. Back to the humanities from now on.

Anonymous said...

Yes I'm a keen bird-watcher too - I love them , always have. On this property in southern Q'ld we have lots of magpies, parrots, wrens, finches, babblers, choughs, quails, schrikes, pardelotes, kookaburras, emus, plain turkeys, herons, all sorts of ducks and water birds, egrets, and plenty more types.
Love your blog and www.thepeopesvoice.org and they are so excellent I often paste them on www.911oz.com/vbulletin

Anonymous said...

Freemasons in Jersey and UK at Indymedia
http://tinyurl.com/6lz3s4
Gods banker at The Guardian
http://tinyurl.com/56bb3c
BBC http://tinyurl.com/5l3856
Plenty more if you look.

nobody said...

Thanks John, I'll check it out.

And anon, put in a name, mate. It makes a conversation so much more sensible. Anything will do.

But otherwise damn! Good stuff. I've never seen babblers or quails of any description. I'm on the coast so we don't get them. But it's not bad here. I spent half an hour watching an osprey smash himself into the breakers over and over the other day. It was really something to behold.

Otherwise I've checked out peoplesvoice and I'll do likewise with 911oz. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

AnneMarie, here's a nerdy one for you.

Tony

nobody said...

Well, in its favour, at least no one got hurt, ha ha.

notamobster said...

Definitely diggin it. I like the illustration of chaos in the 'masters of the universe' context.

Funny you should choose the weather metaphor... These ass-clowns are trying to figure out the fourth decimal and control the weather. GM crops, weather mod, in/de-flation, privatizing natty resources in exchange for WB and IMF loans to keep the world indebted. They have certainly been thinking ahead, but its refreshing to see folks who are convinced they can't know/control it all!

Cheers.