Currents and Countercurrents
of Thought
People can keep track of some things, seeing where they come from and where they go.
Some things change so slowly or so quickly that the changes are hard to notice while they are taking place.
Some things in nature have a repeating pattern, such as the day-night cycle, the phases of the moon, seasons, or tides.
Different cycles range from many years down to a fraction of a second.
Cyclic patterns evident in past events can be used to make predictions about future events. However, these predictions may not always match what actually happens.
Things change in steady, repetitive, or erratic ways -- or sometimes in more than one way at the same time.
The way some systems behave is so erratic that patterns of change are not apparent.
Small differences in how things start out can sometimes produce large differences in how they end up. Some events are so sensitive to small differences in initial conditions that their outcomes cannot be predicted.
Cyclic change is commonly found when there are feedback effects in a system -- as, for example, when a change in any direction gives rise to forces or influences that oppose the change.
The precise future of a system is not completely determined by its present state and circumstances but also depends on the fundamentally uncertain outcomes of other events.
Some things change so slowly or so quickly that the changes are hard to notice while they are taking place.
Some things in nature have a repeating pattern, such as the day-night cycle, the phases of the moon, seasons, or tides.
Different cycles range from many years down to a fraction of a second.
Cyclic patterns evident in past events can be used to make predictions about future events. However, these predictions may not always match what actually happens.
Things change in steady, repetitive, or erratic ways -- or sometimes in more than one way at the same time.
The way some systems behave is so erratic that patterns of change are not apparent.
Small differences in how things start out can sometimes produce large differences in how they end up. Some events are so sensitive to small differences in initial conditions that their outcomes cannot be predicted.
Cyclic change is commonly found when there are feedback effects in a system -- as, for example, when a change in any direction gives rise to forces or influences that oppose the change.
The precise future of a system is not completely determined by its present state and circumstances but also depends on the fundamentally uncertain outcomes of other events.