Chaos

Thinking hardly or hardly thinking? Philosophy

Major trains of thought

Logic Morality Reality

The good, the bad, and the brain fart

Intrinsic good Agnosticism Logical positivism Simulated reality Progress Voluntary Human Extinction Movement Thomas Paine Veganism

Come to think of it

Religion Science Philosophy of science Ethics Psychology v - t - e

“”The task of art today is to bring chaos into order. Original in German: Aufgabe von Kunst ist es heute, Chaos in die Ordnung zu bringen.

—Theodor W. Adorno in Minima Moralia

Not to be confused with the scientific theory, Chaos theory

Chaos is a term that refers to the state in which there is no order or predictability. The word comes from the Ancient Greek word χάος.

Chaos in religion

Greek myth

In Greek creation myths, the state before the creation of the universe is known as chaos. "Chaos" in this sense actually means something closer to "void", "emptiness", or "abyss", rather than its modern meanings of "disorder", "confusion", or "wild and absurd events". In Greek myths, Chaos is — in addition to being effectively existence before existence — also a Primordial Entity or "Protogenoi", which were the first beings to come into existence, before even the titans. (Though technically, Chaos was both the void and the primordial entity. Creation myths can be weird like that.) Most people would be more familiar with the Protogenoi Nyx, Gaia, and Chronos (which were directly born from Chaos).

Creation and Chaos in mythology

Fighting against chaos appears as a common motif, and is referred to as chaoskampf, which is German for "struggle against chaos". Chaoskampf appears in the form of hero gods fighting against powers of chaos.

Chaos in pop culture

Chaos is regarded as a metaphysical force in fantasy settings such as Dungeons & Dragons, in which it is often defined in terms of its opposition to law/order (which in practice forms a situation not unlike the aforementioned chaoskampf). This dichotomy has a tendency to be distinct from good and evil, though it can also overlap with them, particularly for the sake of creating more nuanced moral alignments.

References

For those of you in the mood, RationalWiki has a fun article about Chaos.

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