Below is the outstanding 2010 BBC documentary called 'The Secret Life of Chaos'. The film traces the history and major discoveries of what has become known as chaos theory. I found it informative, incredibly interesting and amazingly accessible.
Here is the official description from the BBC:
Chaos theory has a bad name, conjuring up images of unpredictable weather, economic crashes and science gone wrong. But there is a fascinating and hidden side to Chaos, one that scientists are only now beginning to understand.
In this documentary, Professor Jim Al-Khalili sets out to uncover one of the great mysteries of science - how does a universe that starts off as dust end up with intelligent life? How does order emerge from disorder?
It's a mindbending, counterintuitive and for many people a deeply troubling idea. But Professor Al-Khalili reveals the science behind much of beauty and structure in the natural world and discovers that far from it being magic or an act of God, it is in fact an intrinsic part of the laws of physics. Amazingly, it turns out that the mathematics of chaos can explain how and why the universe creates exquisite order and pattern.
And the best thing is that one doesn't need to be a scientist to understand it. The natural world is full of awe-inspiring examples of the way nature transforms simplicity into complexity. From trees to clouds to humans - after watching this film you'll never be able to look at the world in the same way again.
[ h/t Integral Options Cafe ]
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4 comments:
longer form science reporting is getting much better, too bad there isn't really a similar effort to take philosophy public (the NYT's "Stone" has been pretty awful).
http://watchdocumentary.com/watch/fractals-hunting-the-hidden-dimension-video_51243d1cf.html
yeah, and no one seems to do it like the BBC. But you are right, where are all the docs about philosophy? DO you think they would actually interest the general public?
to the degree that it was focused on thinking through problems, and other historical developments, as you are doing here I think it might, plus imagine if say Levi, IanBo, or TimMo had a chance to work with NOVA level animation teams. The line between philosophy and serious reporting shouldn't be a strong one, I think.
ps I emailed you some articles the other day with a heading something like "recycle bin" so you may want to check yours..
@dmf
I found that email. Thanks so much.
I am always amazed by your ability to share such relevant resources. I have Tom's article already - but the other paper looks fantastic as well.
I truly appreciate your presence here and all over the theory-net D. My offer of having you guest blog stands, as I think so many others would be excited should you you join the fray. It doesn't ahve to be a massive undertaking. Just riff on an idea or two you have been sitting on...
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