This book presents an interdiscipliary study of the evolving concept of laws of nature, tracing the development from ideas concerning primitive cultures to recent thought on chaos, black holes, inflation and superstrings. The author aims to discuss scientific and philosophical assumptions from which abstract and pragmatic developments have grown, such as the universe being ordered and predictable, in a non-technical way within a historical context. He describes a progression from pre-history to comtemporary notions in fundamental physical science and the attendant philosophy it has helped to shape.