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Chaos Theory and Its Implications for Social Science Research

Marriott School of Management, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602. 22400 B Woodchase Lane, Marietta, Georgia 30067.

Lee Sailer

22400 B Woodchase Lane, Marietta, Georgia 30067.

Based on theoretical and mathematical principles of chaos theory, we argue that the customary social science goals of "prediction" and "control" of systems behavior are sometimes, if not usually, unobtainable. Specifically, chaos theory shows how it is possible for nearly identical entities embedded in identical environments to exhibit radically different behaviors, even when the underlying systems are extremely simple and completely deterministic. Furthermore, chaos theory arguments are general enough to apply to any type of entity, including individuals, groups, and organizations, and therefore they are relevant to a large domain of social science problems. As a result, this paper concludes with six familiar claims about the study of social phenomena for which chaos theory provides new theoretical arguments.

Key Words: chaos theory • dynamic social systems

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