The End of Certainty

Time, Chaos and the New Laws of Nature

By: Ilya Prigogine

Write A Review

Hardcover | 17 August 1997

At a Glance

Hardcover
208 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
22.86 x 14.61 x 2.54

Hardcover

$55.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $13.94 with

Ships in 15 to 25 business days

Time, the fundamental dimension of our existence, has fascinated artists, philosophers, and scientists of every culture and every century. All of us can remember a moment as a child when time became a personal reality, when we realized what a "year" was, or asked ourselves when "now" happened. Common sense says time moves forward, never backward, from cradle to grave. Nevertheless, Einstein said that time is an illusion. Nature's laws, as he and Newton defined them, describe a timeless, deterministic universe within which we can make predictions with complete certainty. In effect, these great physicists contended that time is reversible and thus meaningless.

Industry Reviews

Oliver Sacks "Prigogine is a pioneer of chaos and self-organization theory, and his vision is as revolutionary and fundamental as Darwin's. With a fascinating blend of the conceptual, historical, and personal, he gives us a rare and privileged glimpse into one of the most adventurous scientific imaginations of our time."

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

Orders over $79.00 qualify for free shipping.

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.

Defective items

If there is a problem with any of the items received for your order then the Booktopia Customer Care team is ready to assist you.

For more info please visit our Help Centre.

You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction Science Physics Relativity Physics Mathematics Applied Mathematics Chaos Theory Philosophy Metaphysics & Ontology History of Western Philosophy Western Philosophy Astronomy, Space & Time

Time & Chronology Science in General

Acknowledgments
Author's Note
Introduction: A New Rationality?	p. 1
Epicurus' Dilemma	p. 9
Only an Illusion?	p. 57
From Probability to Irreversibility	p. 73
The Laws of Chaos	p. 89
Beyond Newton's Laws	p. 107
A Unified Formulation of Quantum Theory	p. 129
Our Dialogue with Nature	p. 153
Does Time Precede Existence?	p. 163
A Narrow Path	p. 183
Notes	p. 191
Glossary	p. 201
Index	p. 207
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.

The End of Certainty

Time, Chaos and the New Laws of Nature

At a Glance

Hardcover

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

More in Science in General

Liars, cheats and copycats

Trickery and deception in nature

Alchemy

An Illustrated History of Elixirs, Experiments, and the Birth of Modern Science

Death by Comfort

How modern life is killing us and what we can do about it

How Emotions Are Made

The Secret Life of the Brain

The First Astronomers

How Indigenous Elders read the stars

The Age of Surveillance Capitalism

Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power

The Burning Earth

An Environmental History of the Last 500 Years

The Knowledge Gene

The incredible story of the supergene that gives us human creativity

The Body

A Guide for Occupants - THE SUNDAY TIMES NO.1 BESTSELLER

A Little History of the Earth

Little Histories

Excel Essential Skills: Science Revision Workbook - Year 8

Excel Essential Skills Ser.

Excel Year 9 Science Revision Workbook Year 9

Excel Essential Skills Ser.

What If?

Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

The Brain That Changes Itself

Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science

The Body Keeps The Score

Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma

The Best Australian Science Writing 2025

The Best Australian Science

Swainston's Fishes of Australia

The complete illustrated guide

Baked to Perfection

Winner of the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards 2022

100 Australian Birds

Sapiens

A Graphic History: Volume 1

Lifespan

Why We Age - and Why We Don't Have To

Immune

The bestselling book from YouTube's KURZGESAGT IN A NUTSHELL

Breath

The New Science of a Lost Art

How To

This product is categorised by