Conference: Order, Chaos, and the Hidden Hand of Nature

at Balliol College Oxford, 4 May 2022

6:30 pm - 7:30 pm BST

Drawing upon insights from neuroscience, systems biology, astrophysics, and philosophy, join us for a dazzling metaphysical adventure into the heart of the universe. From financial markets and traffic flows to earthquakes, black holes and the distribution of galaxies in the universe, the study of patterns that govern our lives and the natural world has long fascinated mathematicians, scientists and philosophers. But now evidence is mounting that these seemingly disconnected phenomena are all governed by a “hidden hand” that lies at the heart of everything: symmetry.

Bringing together pioneering neuroscientist Dr Iain McGilchrist (All Souls),  Professor Denis Noble CBE (Balliol),  Professor of Astrophysics Dimitra Rigopoulou (Brasenose), and philosopher Benedict Rattigan (Schweitzer Institute), this livestream event explores the balance between order and disorder, cosmos and chaos, proposing a bold new vision with implications for art, science, and our understanding of reality itself.