Chaos and Determinism

Turbulence as a Paradigm for Complex Systems Converging Toward Final States
Erscheinungsjahr 1995
ISBN: 978-0-8018-4912-1
Verlag: Johns Hopkins University Press

Buch, Englisch, 208 Seiten, Format (B × H): 153 mm x 228 mm, Gewicht: 318 g

In Chaos and Determinism, members of the French Academy from several disciplines — including fluid mechanics, economics, philosophy, theoretcial physics and biology — offer scientific and philosophical analyses of the concepts of order, chaos, and determinism as they emerge in such complex systems as atmosphere, oceans, monetary economic,s and biological organisms. Using turbulence in fluid mechanics as the chief model, the authors describe and explain the behavior of systems that tend toward a particular end-state, such as an attractor in dynamic systems. The result is a unique interdisciplinary study of complex behavior and its philosophical consequences in fluid mechanics, meteorology, oceanography, physics, embryology, genetics, and economics.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Favre, Alexandre

Guitton, Henri

Guitton, Jean

Lichnerowicz, Andre

Fachgebiete

• Mathematik | Informatik Mathematik Numerik und Wissenschaftliches Rechnen Chaos-Theorie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Illustrations
Foreword
Preface to the French Edition
Preface to the English Edition
Translator's Note
Part I: Methods, Concepts, Vocabulary
Chapter 1. The Role of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences
Chapter 2. Scales, Domains, and Methods of Observation; Structure, Stability, and Regulation
Chapter 3. Turbulence, Systems, Interactions, Nonlinearity, Attractors, and Bifurcations
Chapter 4. Statistical Methods, Averages, Fluctuations, Mean Effects, Correlations, Spectra, and Stages of Fluctuation
Chapter 5. Causality, Determinism, Teleonomy, Necessity, Contingency, and Freedom
Chapter 6. Order and Disorder
Chapter 7. Disordered Chaos and Deterministic Chaos
Chapter 8. Chance and Randomness
Chapter 9.Analogies and Similarities
Part II: Turbulence in Fluid Mechanics
Chapter 10. Fluids and Turbulent Flows
Chapter 11. Turbulent and Nonturbulent Fluid Flows and the Conditions for Determinacy
Chapter 12. The Causes of and Criteria for the Existence of Turbulence: Similarity and Transition
Chapter 13. The Mechanisms and Regulating Mean Effects of Turbulent Flows
Chapter 14. Some Classic Models and Turbulence
Part III: The Atmosphere and the Hydrosphere: The Media of Life
Chapter 15. The Properties of the Hydrosphere and the Atmosphere
Chapter 16. The Mechanisms of the Atmospheric-Hydrospheric System: Determinism, Regulation, and Optimization
Chapter 17. Conclusion
Part IV: Physical Theories: Groups, the Calculus of Variations, Relativity, Statistical Mechanics, and Quantum Mechanics
Chapter 18. Examples of Mathematical Instruments of Though: Groups and the Calculus of Variations
Chapter 19. Relativity
Chapter 20. Statistical Mechanics
Chapter 21. Quantum Mechanics
Part V: Biology
Chapter 22. Teleonomy in Embryology
Chapter 23. The Double Helix and Messenger RNA
Part VI: Economics, Turbulence, and Chaos
Part VII: Conclusions
Chapter 24. General Remarks
Chapter 25. The Interpretation of Phenomena Through Causality and Determinism
Chapter 26. The Interpretation of Phenomena According to Causality, Determinism, and Teleonomy Through Regularization, Optimization, and Convergence Toward Final States
Part VIII: A Philosopher's Reflections
References
Index

Über Autor(innen)

Guitton, Jean
Jean Guitton is honorary professor of philosophy at the Sorbonne.

Favre, Alexandre
Alexandre Favre is emeritus professor of fluid mechanices at the University of Aix-Marseille.

Guitton, Henri
Henri Guitton is honorary professor of economics at the Sorbonne.

Lichnerowicz, Andre
Andre Lichnerowicz is honorary professor of physical theories at the Collège de France.

Alexandre Favre is emeritus professor of fluid mechanices at the University of Aix-Marseille. Henri Guitton is honorary professor of economics at the Sorbonne. Jean Guitton is honorary professor of philosophy at the Sorbonne. Andre Lichnerowicz is honorary professor of physical theories at the Collège de France. Etienne Wolff is honorary professor of biology and an administrator at the Collège de France. All are members of the French Academy.