ABSTRACT
The metaphor of “chaos” is more convoluted than other metaphors (e.g., hierarchy), because the emotional meaning of the word “chaos” greatly differs from its formal meaning in contemporary science.
It is often mistakenly thought that the word “chaos” comes from
The Bible
, but
in its original Hebrew version, the word “chaos” does not appear. The word
chaos
has its roots in Greek reflexive verb
chaino
, meaning “to open,” and when used as a noun, meaning “something open,” especially an abyss. In Greek mythology, descriptions of the “birth of the world” usually start with the statement like “In the beginning there was Chaos.” In ancient Egypt, the most powerful god was Nun (Nu) — the God of Chaos, “father” of all other gods.
