March 11, 2009
2009 was chosen as the Year of Darwin - the most well-known representative of the theory of evolution would this year become 200 years old. The EVO magazine has specially to a website designed, and my colleague Ron Engert made it the cover story of the latest issue of his magazine Tattva Viveka . Only two of countless publications, meeting announcements and other tributes - Google reports on the keyword search "Darwin Year" already hit 235,000, barely a quarter of the year is over.
Made the extra mile, the broadcaster has 3Sat with the flash animation "The Darwin-code" . In addition to all sorts of cultural references and of course tear-out from Darwin Biography and discussion of diverse colleagues and competitors (forgotten however was the British philosopher and sociologist Herbert Spencer , zeitgeist on its significant research findings in Issue 2-2007 had reported in detail), it is mainly a series of Video clips on key concepts of evolution ("Darwin-bits"), which are particularly successful, z. B. on mimicry, coevolution, or epigenetics also got into the fashion creationism.
It would be desirable, however, to take the Darwin year as an opportunity to reinvigorate the dialogue about the weaknesses or fractures in the theory of evolution, which it indeed still are crucial : So about the origin of life at all, then the human being anyway, or even the human civilization as such, if one wishes to extend the debate on archaeological standpoints. Moreover, would promise a differentiated discussion of the differences between microevolution (= adaptation of species z. B. by minor mutations) and macroevolution (= evolutionary leap across species boundaries) certainly fruitful new insights. For while the micro-evolution is likely to be contested today little more, it's just the macro-evolution, which - also by virtue of the lack of finds - still seems questionable.
Evolution always and everywhere takes place, this is my personal observation, might be designed new life as a phenomenon of self-organization even simply from "nothing". Interesting in this context are the studies of the forester Viktor Schauberger (1885-1958), who localized the origin of life in water sources, or the physician Wilhelm Reich (1897-1957) with his Bionforschung (zeitgeist reported in the expenditure 1-2002 to 1 2003 ), wömöglich the mechanisms of biological transmutation (see FIG. zeitgeist-Issue 2-2006 ). Most exciting, however, is and will remain the evolution of consciousness that yes, in contrast to inert matter takes place much faster. Especially in times of social change and a growing network, for which the Internet may serve as a mirror, you come to perhaps the greatest importance.
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It is a pity also that the issue of criticism of evolutionary theory in the media always very one-sided than the absurd fundamentalist resistance (or at least transfigured naive) is exploited groups on the findings and achievements of the Enlightenment.
This is here no real interest in genuine knowledge gained through scientific discourse, but it is only dogmatic insistence on one's own ideology is also evident in the current definitions of the term "intelligent design". So z. B. Explanation on "Intelligent Design" in mirror ONLINE with the words "Fundamentalism in camouflage" is thrown directly at the beginning of the section approaches sweeping all into the same pot.
This is obviously a phenomenon act on that we call in psychology as "pre-trans fallacy". In this case, although usually refers to the likelihood of psychotic (pre-rational) and transpersonal / spiritual (trans-rational) experiences due to superficial similarities, the concept goes much deeper, however.
It posits that the rational consciousness that has won the Enlightenment collective weight and today the global (or at least in Western culture) is probably dominant consciousness, represents only one state in a line of development of consciousness. Just as there are just pre-rational states of consciousness, z. B. the magical archaic (the so-called savages, in their world, everything is animated) or mythical (represented mainly by the monotheistic religions), there are also trans-rational states that are likely to represent the dominant consciousness in 100-200 years. Each state correspond to very specific human and world views; Darwinian evolution theory just corresponds to the rational consciousness. But there is evidence of enormous hubris to assume here a basic endpoint in our understanding of the world (which must be at best yet differentiated into details).