Chaos: Making a New Science

“Chaos. The Making of a New Science” is a world bestseller by American journalist James Gleick, translated into more than two dozen languages. It tells the story of how the science of chaos came into being. Starting with the accidental discovery by meteorologist Edward Lorenz, who tried to create a model for long-term weather forecasting, Gleick reconstructs—step by step—the entire chain of sudden insights and unusual experiments that led scientists to realize that there are universal laws of nature still unknown to them. Gleick doesn’t just recount the birth of this new science; he also reflects on how scientific progress happens and what role the “mad geniuses” play in it—geniuses who search for unconventional solutions despite the existing knowledge.