Do you ever think about how minute, seemingly insignificant changes can impact the future? Usually we believe that only significant changes will translate to significant impact, but the Butterfly Effect tells otherwise. To put this concept into context, I'll have you imagine a scenario. Let’s say you are walking at the mall one day and find $10. You are so excited because you were broke but now you can actually buy something. You soon realize that consumerism is for losers and you instead invest that $10 into a bean company. A couple days later, scientists discover that beans can be used as fuel. Your $10 has now turned into 2.5 million dollars. You buy 176,678.44523 big macs and 66.37 Kia Souls, completely spending all of your earnings. You live in peace and harmony with your big macs and Kia Souls, until you have to file your taxes. You now owe the US government $250,000, so you move to Mexico, bringing with only 1 Kia Soul and 4 big macs. Although that $10 seemed small in the moment, it led to big changes in the future.
Now that you are able to conceptualize the idea of the Butterfly Effect, I can explain the origin of the theory itself. Edward Lorenz, an MIT meteorologist, was the first to discover what we now know of as the Chaos Theory. The definition of Chaos Theory from Britannica is, “in mechanics and mathematics, the study of apparently random or unpredictable behaviour in systems governed by deterministic laws.” The Chaos Theory is a set of highly sensitive conditions which allow the butterfly effect to occur. In simple terms, The chaos theory is the set of dominos, and the butterfly effect is the first one being tipped over. So why is it called the “butterfly” effect? Lorenz had proposed a metaphorical example that a hurricane on one side of the world could be influenced by the flapping of a butterfly’s wings from the opposite side of the world. It is quite clear that the flapping of a butterfly’s wings itself cannot cause a hurricane, but it is merely a factor in the grand course of events that had taken place leading to the final specific outcome of a hurricane.
So the question stands, does the butterfly effect have anything to do with what is reality, or is it simply an abstract concept? Think about your own life. Would you even be here if your parents didn’t happen to be in the right place at the right time? What events took place that led you to go to this school and to be in this English class? Every decision that you have taken in your life has led you to read this sentence, and you reading this sentence may change your future in an unprecedented way. A single decision that you take would lead you down a different reality. It's kinda like you are going down a single branch of a tree with unlimited branches. Whether or not you believe the butterfly effect is true ultimately depends on your view of the world. If you believe in fate, per say, you think that everything is predestined and that any decision made was always meant to happen, regardless of anything. But to come to a general conclusion, we can say that not every single insignificant decision will lead to a significant outcome, but instead any random insignificant decision has the potential to lead to a larger, more significant event.
“Chaos Theory.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/science/chaos-theory.
“Edward Lorenz, Father of Chaos Theory and Butterfly Effect, Dies at 90.” MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology, news.mit.edu/2008/obit-lorenz-0416.
36 comments:
Alan, your piece was great! I really liked the example you gave and the explanation! I always wanted to know where it originated and such and I'm glad that you put it on paper!
I am so obsessed with the theory of the butterfly effect so i absolutely loved this piece!I really liked how you included the examples and research of how the theory started.
I think almost, if not every circumstance in life causes a butterfly effect, I like how you explored the concept and how we should consider this when making every day decisions that seem insignificant to us, but could have a larger impact on someone or something else! Bravo!
This was so interesting to read. I literally think about stuff like the butterfly effect, wrong place wrong time, right person wrong time, etc all the time. It is so insane to think about how your life could be so entirely different if just one little thing were to be changed. Nice writing!
Amazing piece! Very informative and a unique blog post. I loved your definitions and examples, it really further your piece. Your example in the beginning was a fun way to introduce the topic and I enjoyed reading that. The last paragraph was my favorite when you tied your stories together and relayed it to the real world. Good job!
William James Smith III: ALAN! THAT WAS AWWWWWWWSOOOOOMMMEEE!!! I love how you branched two concepts so so well together! Little details make a huge difference! For example, how you can get a few more questions right on the final, which changes your letter grade, changing your GPA, and potentially changing what college/university you get into! Small details in sports are often times what determines who wins at major events like the Olympic Games! It was sooo cool seeing that from you! Great Job! :)
So motivational and inspiring!!! :)
William :)
I absolutely loved this! Such an entertaining example you provided in the beginning, I was dying of laughter.
Alan! I enjoyed this so much! I loved your small anecdote, because it really helped me visualize the intricate impact the butterfly effect has. Thank you for helping me realize how much power ONE decision can have, not only only myself, but other people.
Your blog piece was so interesting!! I’ve always heard people reference the butterfly effect but I never really understood what it was. But after reading your piece, I can recall so many instances in my life where one small decision affects the bigger picture.
This is a really interesting piece. Though I have heard of the butterfly effect, I never truly knew what it meant and how it is in people. The intro/analogy in the very beginning immediately drew me into the the following information you were presenting. At the same time, the ending of your story also made me ponder about my life guided my your quotations and comments. Thank you for this amazing piece!
I LOVE THIS! ive always been so interested in this subject and you explained it so well!! i like how you did your research and included examples!
I love this so much. From the beginning the way you wrote this had me hooked; I like that you wrote this as if you were talking to the reader themselves, it kept me interested and wanting to know more about the butterfly effect and what it had to do with me. I especially liked the example with the bean investor haha
Alan this piece was phenomenal!! The comedy at the beginning had me laughing so hard, especially all the Big Macs and Kia Souls that were bought. This was so unique and creative, by the end I was questioning all the events that have happened in my life that have brought me to this very moment. Awesome work!
I really like this piece because it shows how interested you are in it, genuinely, but it also reads kind of educational. It's like a good VSauce video. Not too educational, not too goofy. I like it.
Thank you for sharing this with us, this was incredibly interesting and thought inducing. I love conceptualizing and trying to understand theories and this definitely gave me the brain stimulation I needed.
This theory is something I have always been interested in and I always think about it when making decisions. It is crazy how the smallest things can lead to some huge change in a a persons life. Thank you for sharing this it was very cool how you made it simple to understand, yet intriguing to read.
I have never really read up on the butterfly effect but I think this was an amazing piece of writing to start learning about it. I like how you went in to detail about how one little thing now can have a big impact on our future.-Malachi Hawkins
I love love love your take on the butterfly effect !! You're gonna make me question every decision I make lol great job !!!
I loved how quickly that ten dollars escalated into moving to Mexico; it really shows how the butterfly effect can cause major changes. Thanks for teaching us this concept!
Alan, this was so interesting to read! The example at the beginning was so funny. I've always loved the concept of the butterfly effect and how nothing is truly insignificant. Our choices matter.
This was so great! Your example in the beginning helped me understand and made me smile. I really like how you decided to write your piece on a concept. Great job!
This is really well written and very informative. I like how you made it interactive in the beginning and throughout the rest of your piece. Good Job!
I have always been fascinated with the Butterfly Effect and your piece was great in giving a balance of both information about what it is and your perspective of how it works in our lives.
Your work is so interesting. I loved how you included your own scenario of what the could have happened. Your idea on how no decision is insignificant really put in perspective all the major changes in life.
I think about this all the time! I have so many differing thoughts on the Butterfly effect, but ultimately, I believe in it. I loved your writing and how it sparked me to ponder and reflect on the events in my own life. It is kind of simultaneously an exciting and scary thought to think that your life can be greatly impacted by such small events. It makes the world seem both full and devoid of meaning.
I really enjoyed reading this, I was engaged the entire time. Your writing is very well rounded and flowed nicely with the humor in the beginning end the reflection at the end. Great job!
I never really understood the Butterfly Effect until now! Your piece was really informative and your use of examples really helped to demonstrate your points. I also liked how you implored the audience to explore the effect in their own life.
This excerpt was very unique and entertaining. It was excellent to witness how you explained something very deep and complex in a great way and put into perspective how a decision can totally effect an indviduals total life experience.
You did a great job getting the information through. I really liked your perspective of it as well. Great work.-Muskaan Sandhu
This was a very profound analysis of the topic, one which gave me flashbacks to Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park talking about chaos theory. Great explanation and topic choice!
This made my brain hurt but in a good way! I really love this topic and it seems so interesting!
-Angela Carnalla
This was really fun to read Alan. It was just silly enough and just serious enough to be captivating and really intriguing. IT was very well written and a joy to read
Ryan Mallon
I'm super interested in theoretical situations, So I think you made a great choice with choosing the butterfly effect, Nice Job!
Last paragraph really had me thinking about things in a different way. This was a great piece.
Loved this! It helped remind me that every moment and decision in my life is important and should be valued, and also that actions, however small, have an impact on others.
Alan I really enjoyed your piece, the beginning concept is just my type of chaos. I also like to believe that the shockwave of a pebble I kicked may have caused an earthquake across the world.
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