I. Prigogine

Ilya Prigogine was a scientist known for his work on the behavior of systems far from equilibrium, especially in thermodynamics. He introduced the concept of "dissipative structures," which are organized patterns that emerge in systems that exchange energy with their surroundings—like a whirlpool or a living organism. His research showed how order and complexity can arise spontaneously from chaos, challenging traditional ideas that systems naturally tend toward disorder. Prigogine's work helps us understand how complex, ordered phenomena can develop in nature despite the second law of thermodynamics.