This book contains the invited papers of the interdisciplinary workshop on "Shastic Nonlinear Systems in Physics, Chemistry and Biology" held at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZIF), University of Bielefeld, West Germany, October 5-11, 1980. The workshop brought some 25 physicists, chemists, and biologists - who deal with shastic phenomena - and about an equal number of mathematicians - who are experts in the theory of shastic processes - together. The Scientific Commitee consisted of L. Arnold (Bremen), A. Dress (Bielefeld), W. Horsthemke (Brussels), T. Kurtz (Madison), R. Lefever (Brussels), G. Nicolis (Brussels), and V. Wihstutz (Bremen). The main topics of the workshop were the transition from deterministic to sh­ astic behavior, external noise and noise induced transitions, internal fluctuations, phase transitions, and irreversible thermodynamics, and on the mathematical side, approximation of shastic processes, qualitative theory of shastic systems, and space-time processes. The workshop was sponsored by ZIF, Bielefeld, and by the Universities of Bremen and Brussels. We would like to thank the staff of ZIF and H. Crauel and M. Ehrhardt (Bremen) for the perfect organization and their assistance. In addition, our thanks go to Professor H. Haken for having these Proceedings included in the Se­ ries in Synergetics. Bremen and Brussels L. Arnold and R. Lefever December 1980 v Contents Part I. Introduction: From Deterministic to Shastic Behavior On the Foundations of Kinetic Theory By B. Misr~ and I. Prigogine (With 1 Figure) ............................. .