David Peat

From Clockwork to Chaos 141While chaos theory is, in the last analysis, no more than a metaphor forhuman society, it can be a valuable metaphor. It makes us sensitive tothe types of organizations we create and the way we deal with the situationsthat surround us.Organizing Self-OrganizationIt is a major leap from the simple examples of the vortex in a river andpatterns in a heated pan of water to the New York Stock Exchange andthe growth of the Internet. While the latter examples do have featuresin common with the former they are vastly more complex in their internalstructure and range of behavior. Indeed, when it comes to sociallybased systems we reach the limits of the more simplistic metaphorsof chaos theory. Such systems involve a delicate balance ofdynamical structures that involve feedback loops at many levels. Theirinternal complexity allows them to remain open to the contingenciesof the external world while maintaining internal stability.Take, as a starting point in increasing complexity, a single livingcell. To preserve their internal chemistry, cells have evolved a semipermeablemembrane. This membrane allows nutrients to enter and metabolicwaste products to leave. At the level of these exchanges, the cell isopen to its environment, yet at the same time the stability of its internalchemistry is also being isolated from the outside world. To surviveand divide, a single cell must be sufficiently open to a two-way trafficwith its environment, yet at the same time it must shield its internalstructure from undesired fluctuations in that same external environment.The human body is even more complex. Collections of cells havegathered to form organs and, in turn, organs make up the body itself.The body displays a rich hierarchical structure that is maintainedthrough the interaction of its many feedback loops involving the bloodstream, nervous system, immune system, and flows of hormones andother chemicals.The human body must be open to its environment. It scans thehorizon for food. It seeks a mate. It avoids danger and eliminates waste.