Chaos As Social Order

synergy–and which blur into white noise in which no one sound dominates although any one sound may be momentarily more or less distinct.  In fact, the blur of urban noise obscures not only origins but also dynamics (Brown 123; Dendrinos 241; McBurnett (1)171-5, 185, 190).  Is the dynamics of urban “white noise” random, stochastic, chaotic or yet another type of order which a conceptual use of chaos theory can illuminate better than other kinds of order concepts?  I will return to this question in my conclusion.

            A continuous power spectrum connects with sensitive dependence on initial conditions in describing, at the onset of chaos, the destruction of old information and the creation of new information.  Pre-chaotic signals literally disappear and are replaced by erratically punctuated broadband noise.  This characteristic connects with oppression in that the latter always involves the injection of new energy into an existing system.  Destroying living sites, destroying some bodies and moving others, burying the dead and clothing the living then resocializing the survivors injects new energy into the bodies and into their relations with others.

            Oppression not only subjects bodies to new forms of energy but also makes new energy available to those bodies.  It should be emphasized here that this use of chaos theory does not lead to any simple, reductionist view of social power or of social order.  Social power may constrain or it may liberate or it may do both in the same situation and through the same person.  Declines in the hegemony of white, American, heterosexual, Christian males, books and chainsaws coupled with empowerment of women, children, homosexuals, non-whites,

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