An Excursion through Chaos - by Stuart Walton (Paperback)

About the Book

"In this incisive study, Walton argues that many great social, political, artistic and philosophical advances have emerged from periods of disorder and the refusal to think within standard paradigms. Whilst, Walton claims, we have been taught to prefer the imposition of rules in all aspects of our lives, this book explores how these strictures are responsible for the alienation that has characterised post-war society, an alienation that could have been avoided if we had simply accepted the chaos. Calling us to embrace chaos, this is a philosophical consideration of the meanings and value placed upon chaos throughout history and thought"--

Book Synopsis

From its original meaning as a gaping void, or the emptiness that precedes the whole of creation, chaos has taken on the exclusive meaning of confusion, pandemonium and mayhem. This definition has become the overarching word to describe any challenge to the established order; be it railway strikes or political dissent, any unexpected event is routinely described in the media and popular parlance as 'chaos'.

Yet, in his incisive new study, Stuart Walton argues that this is a pitifully one-dimensional view of the world. He claims that many of the great social, political, artistic and philosophical advances have emerged from periods of disorder and from the refusal to think within the standard paradigms.

Walton claims that we are superstitious about any state of affairs in which anything could happen because we have been taught to prefer the imposition of rules in every aspect of our lives, from our diets to our romances. Yet this book demonstrates that these restrictions are responsible for the very alienation that has characterised postwar society; the same withdrawal that could have been avoided if we had simply embraced the chaos.

Review Quotes

When things fall apart, how can we find value in chaos? Stuart Walton explains in this eloquent polymathic inquiry, which tracks the concept and its potential from Mesopotamian mythology to contemporary Korean cinema.
Oliver Davis, Professor of French Studies, University of Warwick, UK

About the Author

Stuart Walton is a writer on cultural history and philosophy. He has written Out Of It: A Cultural History of Intoxication (2001) and Humanity: An Emotional History (2004), which has been translated into seven languages. He is also a features and comment journalist, writing for the Guardian books blog, and he reviews books for a number of specialist and general titles.