The Butterfly Effect
What are the main points Ed Lorenz made? What are the main points Dr. Gotfryd made? How does the meteorological concept of the ”Butterfly Effect” extend outside the boundaries of meteorology and how can one apply this concept and the broader idea it represents to empower society in general and the individual in particular?
How does this idea strengthen your own self-confidence and reveal the power you have to make a positive change in your life, for those you care about and for the world?
The main points that Dr. Gotfryd made in his scholarly article, “Human Adaptation to Climatic Impacts on Biodiversity”, revolves around human adaptation. He points out that “there are essentially two styles of human adaptation to anticipated climatic changes: Reactive and Proactive. The reactive stance is a wait-and-see approach… while the proactive approach is typically planned, counseled, goal oriented, socially responsible, and quality-of-life driven”. He advocated leaning on the latter. Ed Lorenz, on the other hand, in a scholarly article “Chaos” written by James Gleick, he talks about “Butterfly Effect”. This idea can be explained as a small disturbance like the flapping of a butterfly’s wing inducing enormous consequences. In other words, a very small action or event in a certain system can cause very complex behaviors or events.
The meteorological concept of the “Butterfly Effect” extends outside the boundaries of meteorology in that “a chain of events can have a point of crisis that could magnify small changes (Gleick). Global climatic problems originate from events that primarily can be assumed not to cause problems. According to Arnie Gotfryd, “most of today’s really intractable problems” of environmental destruction, including radioactivity and wastes, are not technical but ethical and social. He argued that Canadians will adapt to climatic changes and biodiversity through “technological innovations, agricultural efficiencies, redistribution, and serendipity”. According to James Gleick in his “Chaos” theory, “the flap of a butterfly wings in Brazil can cause a Tornado in Texas” (2015). Science consists of systems that rely on underlying order and actions that cause a chain of events.
The illustration of a butterfly wings being able to cause a catastrophe empowers individuals and the society as a whole with the idea that, “each one is free to choose among alternative paths leading either to personal failure and ecological disaster or to personal success and global remedy” (Gleick, 2015). These concepts can be used individually or in combination to reflect an individual phenomenon, overall society or in combination. The individuals and the society whole need to become accustomed to a network of ideas and knowledge which can trigger important decisions thus making the society better. Ed Lorenz made a slight omission of some decimals while running a mathematical model which led to unexpected outcomes. He referred to this as “chaos” a concept that widely describes our disorderly nature. Science and nature offers challenging fictions that enable individuals to delineate and understand the complexities of the real world.
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