Customer Reviews

Seven Life Lessons of Chaos: Timeless Wisdom from the Science of Change

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Seven Life Lessons of Chaos is the only book I have ever finished and begun again. This is not a "how to" book, but a piece of literature -- one that does not end, but continues to begin again. I began this book expecting "lessons" in the ordinary sense. Thinking I would be "shown how to do something," I braced myself for the pointer and the lectern and the maps. A non-scientist (to say the least), my only understanding of chaos was "messy and disordered." But like any good student, I waited for Briggs and Peat to teach me, in an orderly, structured way, their "lessons." What happened, though, was something else entirely. Instead, by using chaos theory as a metaphor, Briggs and Peat offered a series of overlapping and merging lenses through which I began to see the world in new ways. Like a great piece of literature, the words began to fall away and as I glanced to watch them tumble, the world appeared in sometimes fleeting, sometimes sustained glimpses -- a world that is at once more chaotic and more possible to be with. This is not a book that "tells you" how to give up control, but one that offers shifting glances into the relieving realization that you didn't have it in the first place. In the end (which is also the beginning), what remains is an oddity so beautiful you will want to touch it. And when you do, you will realize it is your life.

Seven Life Lessons shows us that the control we humans think we have on everything is mostly an illusion. The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray. To me this spontenaeity is a wonderful thing. I love the fact that it sometimes rains when the weather bureau has predicted sunny skies--or vice versa. It makes me understand that the universe is magnificent and is beyond control of any kind. I believe there is a line in E. M. Forster's Passage to India when the character Mrs. Moore says about Ganges River: "What a beautiful river! What a terrible river!" She makes this observation right after the calm beauty of the river has exploded with the sudden splash of a crocodile in the middle of the river. What a boring world if everything were predictable and controllable. This book does indeed offer some suggestions on how to use the scientific discoveries about chaos to enrich our lives and to appreciate the complexity and beauty of the planet Earth. I return to it again and again when I'm feeling barren and dry.

This book will not change your life - but it will enlighten you to the possibilities of how to view life in the future. This is not eastern mysticism by scientists, but rather a clear statement of how uncertainty is the most certain of all things - we live in a world of opposites and that alone provides limitless opportunity.

You should read this book - just once will be enough to 'get it'.

Briggs & Peat have done what needed to be done; write a book which connects a powerful scientific theory to reality which does not require mathematics to "get it". That's not to say that the math is not important, but, rather that a physical theory can be significantly grasped and experienced in a relativly non abstract manner. Fractal time, especially, was a tour de force in moving away from linear time perceptions. I didn't think it could ever be done. Well done, John and David! Lawrence Hudetz

Briggs and Peats accomplish something truly extraordinary. They make clear to us, with the help of Chaos theory, to what extent our Western worldview dominates and distorts our take on or sense of reality. They trace the history of Western thought from the Renaissance to the present and demonstrate how this mechanistic worldview has led to a severe distortion not only of our own sense of self, but of the true nature of our planet and the all life forms it supports.

Without attempting to replace one belief system with another and without telling us what to do, they leave us with a clear sense that the relativism of the post post-modern world is nothing but a misunderstanding of the nature all worldviews:

They are basically theories, and as such, they are provisional in nature and self-destruct eventually because they get stuck and cannot be updated anymore, no matter how hard we try. We have reached that point - a point that does not signal the end of history but rather the beginning of a new chapter.

I read this book in one day, and I keep going back to it. It changes the way you look at everything: your relationships, your job, your community... It's like a cross between The Artist's Way, Flow, and the Tao Te Ching. It is truly amazing!

A follow up for Peat and Briggs for their "Turbulent Mirror." There are ah-ha! moments in "Seven Life Lessons of Chaos" but too much is speculative.
The one item that did stand out for me was a mention of when a writer allows the characters to take over the book and the characters dictate the plot. It has a semi-Zen like quality to the science, but then that is what Chaos is about.

Here we get a better glimpse at infinity, the living interconnectedness of our universe, and chaos theory. Entering into this chaos we have creative moments. The authors take an in depth look at the creative mind. The problem with our modern western minds is that they are dualistic and mechanistic. "Lo! Men have become tools of their tools!" With chaos comes wholeness, and we need not restrict things into dualities and put power above all weaker things. We need see that systems are complex and simplistic at the same time through chaos, and that every action is connected to everything. 'The Butterfly Effect' The Earth, let's call her Gaia, is a living ecosystem and organism. We can look at the cell as its microcosm. Because of missing information, we never fully understand things, and therefore should not mechanise them to our satisfaction. We shouldn' t view everything as linear. This includes time. Those moments where time stands still---they explore the realms of the possibility of fractal time planes, as opposed to a mere irreversable arrow. They want the mystery of contemplating the great unknown restored in our minds. This book will definitely supply you with a new mind expanding outlook and perspective on the world in which you live.

I absolutely enjoyed this book and found it completely relevant to my life. I have been quoting it since I read it!

I purchased this book for a class and told all of my friends about it. It is a perfect explanation of the theory. Real world examples - easy to understand. READ IT!