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Der vorliegende Artikel geht der Frage nach, welche Auswirkungen die Biotechnologie auf die menschliche Gesellschaft hat. In Kapitel eins beschreiben die Autoren, die Veränderungen die sich durch die sogenannte molekulare Revolution vollzogen haben. Kapitel zwei befasst sich mit der Problematik der Nutzung genetischer Informationen, hier seien nur die Schlagworte der neuen Standardisierung von menschlichem Leben und der Transformation der gesellschaftlichen Normen erwähnt. In Kapitel drei werden die Einflüsse der Biomedizin auf die Altersstruktur und die sozialen Sicherungssysteme in industrialisierten Gesellschaften untersucht. Ein besonderer Schwerpunkt liegt dabei auf den Konsequenzen für die Arbeitsmarktpolitik und die Kosten für das öffentliche Gesundheitswesen. Kapitel vier konzentriert sich auf die Frage der Patentierung von genetischen Ressourcen und die dadurch induzierte Veränderung bestimmter Produktionsbedingungen z.B. in der Landwirtschaft. Da die Gentechnologie in der Lage ist, die menschliche Natur entscheidend zu verändern, so die Autoren abschließend, ist eine ethische Debatte zu diesem Thema unabdingbar. (ICD)

The theory of epigenetic developments in evolution rests upon two assumptions. First, it refers to developmental processes that decouple biological from genetic evolution. Decoupling evolutionary processes from genetic evolution is even more important for social evolution. Second, it claims that the development of an organism plays a vital role in evolution. It takes into account the specific role individual development plays in evolution. Thus epigenesis refers to definite evolutionary processes unintelligible within Darwinian theory (Ho and Saunders, 1982). This special characteristic of epigenetic processes restricts the field of random developments in evolution. The Darwinian processes of variation and selection are seen as of secondary relevance for evolution to take place. The logic of evolution is decoupled from Darwinian logic, which thus loses its pre-eminent role in explaining evolutionary sequences. An epigenetic system that organizes individual development as cognitive learning processes (as does the epigenetic system underlying social evolution) changes evolutionary processes in several respects. It changes (1) the tempo of evolution (2) the internal structures that restrict the relevance of selection processes and (3) the conditions that favour learning processes and therefore the innovations that are necessary for social evolution. The central characteristic of social evolution is that society is produced by such cognitive learning processes. Learning processes allow for the self-production (Touraine, 1973) of society. Of central importance to the process of self-production is a special type of cognitive learning, namely moral learning (Fairservis, 1975). Moral development emerges in learning processes specific to the human species, and is therefore considered to be the key variable in a theory of social evolution (Eder, 1976, 1984; Habermas, 1981).

California is an excellent setting to observe evolution in action. Tough, flavorless tomatoes bred for supermarkets provide an example of rapid human-induced evolutionary change in a crop plant, while many California landscapes exert specific ecological pressures that have shaped their resident species for millennia. These settings include the Central Valley, the Sierra Nevada, and archipelagoes of habitat islands. A better understanding of evolution in California is necessary to inform the management of our agricultural ecosystems and conservation of our natural landscapes and the species that depend on them, many of which face uncertain futures because of human activities and climate change.

Begrüßung: Prof.Dr. Thomas Pfeiffer, Prorektor für internationale Beziehungen der Universität Heidelberg Einführung: Prof. Dr. Andreas Draguhn (Neurophysiologie), Fellow am Marsilius-Kolleg (2010 - 2012) Was sind die Grundlagen unserer hohen kognitiven Fähigkeiten, die uns im Verlauf der Evolution zum Homo sapiens machten, dem weisen Affen? Bis vor kurzem gingen Wissenschaftler davon aus, dass der Cortex die Voraussetzung für höhere kognitive Leistungen darstellt und dass wir Menschen, zusammen mit Delfinen, sowohl absolut als auch relativ den größten Cortex haben. Mittlerweile mehren sich aber die Belege, dass auch Vögel, vor allem Rabenvögel, kognitive Leistungen erbringen können, die auf dem Niveau von Schimpansen liegen oder sie teilweise übertreffen. Doch Vögel haben gar keinen Cortex und sollten deshalb nicht zu höheren Denkprozessen fähig sein. Neurobiologische Studien zeigen nun, dass Vögel einen ganz eigenen Weg bei der Evolution ihres Vorderhirns und des Denkens eingeschlagen haben. Diese neuen Erkenntnisse legen nahe, dass es viele evolutionäre Wege zur Entwicklung komplexer Denkprozesse gibt. Homo sapiens ist nur eine davon.

Darwinian Evolution. Anthony Flew. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 1997.150 pp.

The essays in this book explore evolution and change in the legislative context. They cover a wide range of topics, including both proposed and implemented reforms.

"Legislatures in Evolution presents a series of essays on evolution and change in the legislative context. They cover a wide range of topics, including both proposed and implemented reforms. The contributions included here discuss parliamentarians' attitude toward party discipline; the specific challenges associated with implementing sexual harassment policies within legislatures; the consequences of the Supreme Court's ruling in Mikisew Cree First Nation v. Canada on the government's duty to consult Indigenous Peoples when drafting legislation; parliamentarians' engagement in budgetary control issues; the reform of the rules governing prayers in the Legislature of British Columbia; and time management reforms in the Legislative Assembly of Yukon. Charles Feldman, Geneviève Tellier, David Groves, and their contributors bring together both practical and academic experience and perspectives. They conclude with an analysis of parliamentary reforms, paying particular attention to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the functioning of legislatures."

The work encompasses two subject areas which have attained great meaning for various sciences and humans as well: evolution and sexuality. First, I will lay down the foundation of evolution, a process on which the emergence of the world and the subsequent developing living human beings is based upon. The subject will be societal and cultural change in society from its beginning until the present, and I will take a closer look at the growing meaning of an orientation toward the future. I will then apply the general views of Function Systems to intimate relationships. In the end I will take a look at forthcoming development, such as the increasing separation of sexuality and producing offspring and the effects on family and reproduction