*FrontMatter, pg. i*CONTENTS, pg. iv*INTRODUCTION, pg. 1*CHAPTER 1. NONTECHNICAL SYSTEMIC DESCRIPTION AND ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES, pg. 12*CHAPTER 2. PRELIMINARIES, pg. 48*CHAPTER 3. ALMOST MINIMIZING VARIFOLDS, pg. 91*CHAPTER 4. EXISTENCE OF ALMOST MINIMIZING VARIFOLDS, pg. 138*CHAPTER 5. POINTWISE CURVATURE ESTIMATES FOR STABLE HYPERSURFACES, pg. 178*CHAPTER 6. DECOMPOSITION THEOREM FOR STABLE HYPERSURFACES, pg. 224*CHAPTER 7. REGULARITY, pg. 288*REFERENCES, pg. 327