Theory of Knowledge People need to believe that order can be glimpsed in the chaos of events (adapted from John Gray, Heresies, 2004). In what ways and to what extent would you say this claim is relevant in at least two areas of knowledge?

In contrast, practitioners in the field of natural science like chemists and physicists use specific, rational methodologies in attempting to clarify the inner-workings of the phenomena around them. Unlike the artist, the natural scientist attempts to repress any unnecessary emotive information or natural biases that would affect the accuracy of an experiment. If, like artists, their perceptions are complicated by limiting factors, a chaotic situation can develop. The ultraviolet (Rayleigh-Jeans) catastrophe can be considered as a significant real life situation that defines this notion. According to an IB Physics lecture, the total radiated power of a black body in thermal equilibrium was unlimited at high frequencies according to classical physics equations; calamitously, experimentation proved these equations incorrect. German physicist Albert Einstein’s subsequent intuitive proposition that electromagnetic radiation consists of numerous quantum, the resulting energy being the product of Planck’s constant and the frequency () , aided in rectifying these inconsistencies. The refinement of the physical laws of the universe seemed to be the method of eliminating the stress and establishing order from this chaotic situation. Ultimately, one can argue that natural scientists need to see order in chaotic situations so that they can truly justify their own perceptions and theories of the universe. This is akin to how the artist draws from their perceptions to draw order from chaos.

A counterargument, however, is that an individual’s perception of chaos is an a posteriori knowledge that is dependent on the individual’s own experiences and how well they adapt to the mental and psychological stresses of their environment. The late psychoanalyst Viktor Frankl, while a prisoner-of-conscience in a Nazi concentration camp, survived the harsh cruelties of forced labour and death around him by explicitly deciding not to surrender his individuality, an integral part of a man’s life, to his oppressors. One could say that Frankl, in discovering that his existence had a greater purpose, discarded the necessity of order for the chaos of his confinement. This extreme example underscores that when one is accustomed to chaotic pressures, they may not necessarily need order. Having said this, my exploration with poetry more strongly suggests that most individuals rely significantly on an intrinsic core of order, to varying extents, so that the pandemonium of their perceptions and emotions can be turned into a tangible product, be it an accurate scientific theory or an artistic vision.

Another related knowledge issue is: In what way does the human reasoning impulse create order in the arts and the natural sciences? Firstly, reasoning capabilities in the arts, varying amongst individuals and their specializations, ultimately interact with the individual knower to shape our need to see order in chaos.  American avant-garde pianist Keith Jarrett defines this notion; he abruptly halted a Royal Festival Hall concert because an audience member coughed, for he hastily inferred “an implied boredom” of his concert according to his inductive reasoning processes. Jarrett’s “chaotic” issue with coughing is an aesthetic obstacle that limits how he reasons his improvised music should sound like in an “ordered,” rational fashion. On the other hand, as an intermediate pianist, I am not as responsive to minute noises when I am practicing at home because I do not consider these to be interfering too much with my creative expression. Therefore, if an artist’s reasoned cognition is interrupted beyond a particular threshold due to a chaotic event, the individual may require knowledge of order so that their psychological equilibrium can be maintained.

        Alternatively, the necessity of order in natural science is ultimately dependent on how a scientist or a group of scientists use reasoning to illuminate the problems of knowledge. If, for example, a conception of a scientific aspect is widely recognized by the scientific community, it becomes a significant theory. Any contradictions to the tenets of the theory hinder the application of reason in that situation, and the scientists must adapt their theory or create a new one that involves the latest experimental outcome. The malicious smallpox was treated incorrectly for centuries under the theory that “herbal remedies [and] cold treatment” would cure the patient’s ailments. Edward Jenner’s successful cowpox vaccination revised the scientific theory into one that treated smallpox effectively. It is apparent, however, that, akin to the arts, a natural scientist requires order so that their scientific theories are as precise as possible.

        To counter this argument, one could say that a cultural background affects how one sees chaos instead of reasoning, regardless of the area of knowledge. A social environment may or may not yield a need for order; millions, for example, ride the trains in Japan and so, oftentimes, liveried attendants are required to push the last passengers through the doors. In many ways, the attendants are instigators of order who are required so that a massive crowd of people don’t congregate in confined areas and one might perceive going on the train to be slightly chaotic. Comparably, I rely on walking as my principal method of transportation; because I am not dependent on a vehicle with definite passenger limits, there is no order I have to apply to the chaos of transportation. I concede, however, that both of the argument and this counterargument affect how order is discerned in the arts and natural sciences.

There are a number of underlying assumptions in this prescribed title, however. One is that humanity collectively does require order in chaotic situations so that structured society can exist. This is not necessarily an accurate knowledge claim in the arts and the natural sciences. A three-dimensional shooter video game often employs vibrant colours, intricate detailing and a time constraint for a mission in order to provide a realistic, chaotic experience so that the gamer may find the game to be more stimulating. These sensations, if not applied, could result in a boring product, and so the digital arts designer may deliberately remove order in such circumstances.

This investigation also assumes that “chaos” is not beneficial to the knower, which should be challenged as well. If chaos is advantageous to a certain perspective, the knower likely does not require order. Recently, my local newspaper published articles on increased radiation therapy bunkers and an expansion of the Nova Scotia Cancer Centre. This may be detracting funds from other provincial causes like Internet funding at the Halifax Public Libraries, but the natural scientist might find this “funding chaos” to be beneficial and order would not be essential nor needed.

In summation, the ways and the extent to which artists and natural scientists require order in chaotic situations depends on their reasoning and sense perceptive processes. The artist’s creative vision, for one, might get malformed if their reasoning is infiltrated by an exterior force or if their perception of chaos adds a stress to their system. On the contrary, if the perceptions of the natural scientist do not match the experienced, representational data of their experiments, or if their reasoning is faulty in reaching a theoretical conclusion, a chaotic situation may develop much like smallpox or the ultraviolet catastrophe. Despite the numerous counterarguments, both conceptions of chaos seem to equally rely on the investigation for order amidst chaos, and so Gray’s claim is thus somewhat relevant in both the arts and the natural sciences.

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