history-as-chaotic-system

The chapter explores Sax's insomnia-driven reflections on Earth's sociopolitical dysfunction, particularly the unequal distribution of gerontological treatments that exacerbate class divisions and threaten societal stability. Sax investigates the chaotic global conflicts of 2061, identifying the rise of transnational corporations and the contentious takeover of the Martian space elevator as proximate causes of widespread war. He grapples with the challenge of understanding human history scientifically, contrasting it with natural history, and attempts to piece together the complex causes and chronology of the global turmoil.