Exploring how our brains distort reality by seeking patterns, leading to conspiracy theories and the seductive nature of connecting unrelated information. Discussing predictability in daily life and sports, emphasizing how small details can significantly alter outcomes, and relating chaos theory to human behavior and experiences, challenging perceptions of certainty.
Brian Klaas is a political scientist, a professor at University College London and an author.
Small, seemingly insignificant events can have profound effects on the world. But how much of our fate is truly determined by chance, and if chaos plays such a huge role, how much control do we actually have over anything?
Expect to learn the chance story of the atomic bomb's targeting, the difference between contingency and convergence, why our brains are so good at distorting reality, the link between Donald Trump's election and the dinosaurs, how a cigar changed the course of the American Revolution, why floorboards in New England are 23 inches wide and much more...