Ilya Prigogine's work on the popularization of science is critically discussed. Concerning his alleged theory that would find in chaotic dynamics the deterministic mechanism for an irreversible approach to equilibrium, I argue that his motivation is unsound, his contributions nonexistent and his conclusions exaggerated. The areas of physics to which he tries to draw attention are quite interesting, but he does a disservice to the public when he mystifies them.
irreversibility; chaos; determinism