Catastrophe Theory

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding introduction for life and behavioral scientists.
Review: Catastrophe theory was the first mathematical "advance" to receive extensive coverage in the popular press since quantum mechanics. The interest and adulation afforded to chaos theory and nonlinear dynamical systems research barely immitated the enthusiasm and later scorn generated by Thom and his followers. In retrospect it is hard to see what all the excitement was about. Perhaps that's exactly why this book deserves serious attention.

While the doctoral trained mathematician may find more faults here than the rest of us, this book provides sufficient complexity for the professional, and at times is "gentle" enough for the nonmathematician. It will probably find its most useful audience among people with "semi-mathematical" trainings, scientists in life and behavioral or social sciences. For these people, who may just want to find out why Thom's initial theorems generated so much excitement and controversey, this book will be a readable delight.