Denoting Chaos: by Jocelyn Holland & Jan Reimann

11/30/2006

109 Wheeler Hall

Denoting Chaos Claimed by theology, aesthetics, science and - most recently - popular culture, chaos has undergone vast semantic shifts in the course of its history. From its early roles in narratives of creation, chaos has been championed alternately as the epitome of order and disorder, beauty and formlessness, and elaborated both discursively and in symbolic form. The Berkeley Department of German invites you to a conversation on chaos: on the basis of a small selection of excerpts drawn from literature and philosophy, ranging from the classical to the bizarre, we will discuss the specific strategies involved in the denotation of chaos from a number of disciplinary perspectives. We welcome visitors from all branches of the sciences and humanities to join this informal discussion. Refreshments will be served. The conversation will be hosted by: Jocelyn Holland, visiting professor in the Department of German Jan Reimann, visiting professor in the Department of Mathematics