"Chaos is but unperceived order; it is a word indicating the limitations of the human mind and the paucity of observational facts. The words ‘chaos’, ‘accidental’, ‘chance’, ‘unpredictable’ are conveniences behind which we hide our ignorance." (Harlow Shapley, "Of Stars and Men", 1958)
"The term chaos is used in a specific sense where it is an inherently random pattern of behaviour generated by fixed inputs into deterministic (that is fixed) rules (relationships). The rules take the form of non-linear feedback loops. Although the specific path followed by the behaviour so generated is random and hence unpredictable in the long-term, it always has an underlying pattern to it, a 'hidden' pattern, a global pattern or rhythm. That pattern is self-similarity, that is a constant degree of variation, consistent variability, regular irregularity, or more precisely, a constant fractal dimension. Chaos is therefore order (a pattern) within disorder (random behaviour)." (Ralph D Stacey, "The Chaos Frontier: Creative Strategic Control for Business", 1991)
"The term chaos is also used in a general sense to describe the body of chaos theory, the complete sequence of behaviours generated by feed-back rules, the properties of those rules and that behaviour." (Ralph D Stacey, "The Chaos Frontier: Creative Strategic Control for Business", 1991)
"What is chaos? Everyone has an impression of what the word means, but scientifically chaos is more than random behavior, lack of control, or complete disorder. [...] Scientifically, chaos is defined as extreme sensitivity to initial conditions. If a system is chaotic, when you change the initial state of the system by a tiny amount you change its future significantly." (Barry R Parker, "Chaos in the Cosmos: The stunning complexity of the universe", 1996)
"Chaos is a phenomenon encountered in science and mathematics wherein a deterministic (rule-based) system behaves unpredictably. That is, a system which is governed by fixed, precise rules, nevertheless behaves in a way which is, for all practical purposes, unpredictable in the long run. The mathematical use of the word 'chaos' does not align well with its more common usage to indicate lawlessness or the complete absence of order. On the contrary, mathematically chaotic systems are, in a sense, perfectly ordered, despite their apparent randomness. This seems like nonsense, but it is not." (David P Feldman, "Chaos and Fractals: An Elementary Introduction", 2012)
"Chaos provides order. Chaotic agitation and motion are needed to create overall, repetitive order. This ‘order through fluctuations’ keeps dynamic markets stable and evolutionary processes robust. In essence, chaos is a phase transition that gives spontaneous energy the means to achieve repetitive and structural order." (Lawrence K Samuels, "Defense of Chaos: The Chaology of Politics, Economics and Human Action", 2013)
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