Is Prigogine's theory of time widely accepted?
There is a common misconception that my theory of time is rejected by mainstream physics, but this is not accurate. While some physicists still favor a reversible, deterministic view—especially in quantum mechanics and cosmology—my ideas have deeply influenced fields like nonequilibrium thermodynamics, complex systems, and biology. The concept of dissipative structures is widely accepted in chemistry and biophysics. However, the philosophical implications—that time is fundamental and the future is not given—remain debated. Critics argue that my probabilistic approach may not apply to all scales, but I maintain that irreversibility is a universal feature of nature. My work has inspired research in self-organization, chaos theory, and even social sciences. The key is that I do not claim to have all answers; rather, I offer a new dialogue with nature, as I wrote with Isabelle Stengers in *Order Out of Chaos*.
Ask Ilya Prigogine the follow-up →