Catastrophe

Abstract

If a large number of real systems exhibit dynamics that bear the potential for chaos, why do we not see more chaos in real-world processes? Fortunately, the domains over which stability of the system occurs can be releatively large. But once in a while, systems may move “towards the edge of stability” and little nudges to the system may move it from stability to instability, that is, into a castastrophe. Subsequently, reorganization of system components may occur to bring the system back into a stable domain, a kind of evolutionary process. This stable domain, however, may not be the same as the one prior to the disturbance.

The choice of the name, catastrophe theory, is unfortunate as it denotes abnormal nasty events. What we have come to realize is that such events are normal and necessary for the continued smooth functioning of many systems. E.D. Schneider and J.J. Kay, Complexity and Thermodynamics, Futures, 26: 641, 1994.