Social Structures and Chaos Theory

Bibliographic Data

ID2642236
AuthorsR D Smith, Regina Smith (corresponding author)
Year1998
Volume3
Issue1
Pages82-102
Publication date1998-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSociological Research Online (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1360-7804 • E-ISSN: 1360-7804
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.5153/sro.113
OpenAlexW2147744369
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited19

Up to this point many of the social-scientific discussions of the impact of Chaos theory have dealt with using chaos concepts to refine matters of prediction and control. Chaos theory, however, has far more fundamental consequences which must also be considered. The identification of chaotic events arise as consequences of the attempts to model systems mathematically. For social science this means we must not only evaluate the mathematics but also the assumptions underlying the systems themselves. This paper attempts to show that such social-structural concepts as class, race, gender and ethnicity produce analytic difficulties so serious that the concept of structuralism itself must be reconceptualised to make it adequate to the demands of Chaos theory. The most compelling mode of doing this is through the use of Connectionism. The paper will also attempt to show this effectively means the successful inclusion of Chaos theory into social sciences represents both a new paradigm and a new epistemology and not just a refinement to the existing structuralist models. Research using structuralist assumptions may require reconciliation with the new paradigm

CHAOS (operating system · Chaos theory · Chaotic · Class (philosophy · Connectionism · Epistemology · Identification (biology · Sociology · Structuralism (philosophy of science · Computer Science · Critical Realism in Sociology · Opinion Dynamics and Social Influence · Social and Cultural Dynamics · Artificial Intelligence

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