An Excursion through Chaos: Disorder under the Heavens

From its original meaning as a gaping void, or the emptiness that precedes the whole of creation, chaos has taken on the exclusive meaning of confusion, pandemonium and mayhem. This definition has become the overarching word to describe any challenge to the established order; be it railway strikes or political dissent, any unexpected event is routinely described in the media and popular parlance as 'chaos'.

In his incisive new study, Stuart Walton argues that this is a pitifully one-dimensi...