SOCIAL ESSAYS ON CHAOS THEORY

SOCIAL ESSAYS ON CHAOS THEORY by Joel Snell, Joseph Cangemi, and Casimir Kowalski is an introduction to one of the major theories of the 20th century. Chaos theory looks at how tiny variables can have a big impact on social phenomena. In other words, “little things can mean a lot.” This is the first book to try simplify the theory

for the general reading public.

At one time, small micro variables were considered to be a bothersome problem to be over looked. However, in the 60’s, a researcher accidentally discovered that a small change in a number assigned to a wind pattern simulator could have over time a huge impact on the direction of the wind. By the mid 70’s, it was discussed on college campuses first in the physical sciences. Snell reviewed one of the first book on the subject for THE ANNALS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF THE POLITICAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES in 1978.

Here chaos theory is applied to the social sciences. It is an introduction and as a supplementary theory, it can facilitate the three major theories in looking at human interaction and related. They are the equilibrium model, the conflict model and the meaning model. It is also sometimes called the “butterfly effect” which means that theoretically a butterfly flapping its wings can impact some phenomena far away.

It is also the major idea in Malcolm Gladwell’s THE TIPPING POINT,BLINK and

OUTLIERS. This is one of the first Chaos book to look at the sociology and psychology

of the theory. It is also first in that it is free to the reader.  

McGraw Hill has published the promotional copies and Brockmartin.com has the text that can be read without charge.

(ERRATUM: On page 10, United States was meant to be Saudi Arabia. Dr. Bill

Wakefield should have been mentioned on page 101 in the McGraw Hill edition.)

PLEASE SEE BROCKMARTIN.COM  an online publisher originating in

Chicago, Illinois. The first publication is October, 2008. SOCIAL ESSAYS ON CHAOS THEORY is located on this website.