The General Evolutionary Theory as Unification of Biological and Cultural Evolution and as Basis for a Natural Periodization

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Published: Apr 10, 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22339/jbh.v7i2.7206

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Erhard Glötzl
JKU Johannes Kepler University Linz

Abstract

The general evolutionary theory can be seen as a comprehensive generalization and extension of Darwin's theory. The basic idea is to consider not only the evolution of genetic information - as Darwin did - but also the evolution of very general information. It shows that evolution is characterized by the fact that new types of information have developed in leaps and bounds, each with new storage technologies, new duplication technologies and new processing technologies. This unified concept of evolution makes it possible, among other things, to 1) achieve a unified view of biological and cultural evolution; 2) find a natural periodization of the evolution from the formation of the earth until today; and 3) understand the exponential acceleration of evolution through the emergence of targeted variation mechanisms.

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Issue
Vol. 7 No. 2 (2024): Journal of Big History Vol 7 No 2 2024
Section
Articles
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Author Biography

Erhard Glötzl, JKU Johannes Kepler University Linz

Erhard Glötzl studied chemistry and physics at the University of Vienna and technical mathematics at the Johannes Kepler University of Linz. From 1972 to 1981 he was a university assistant at the Mathematical Institute of the University of Linz, habilitation in technical mathematics at the University of Linz with work on Gibbs point processes. From 1981 to 1992 he headed the Office for Environmental Protection of the City of Linz and thus decisively co-responsible for the environmental clean-up of Linz's large-scale industry. From 1992 -2007 he was a director of the board of SBL Stadtbetriebe Linz GmbH and Linz AG. He also taught at the Pedagogical Academy (Chemistry), at the Johannes Kepler University Linz (Environmental Information Systems) and at the Danube University Krems (Finance). Since 1995, numerous lectures and publications on the "instability of our monetary and economic system" and on topics in theoretical economics, theoretical physics and theoretical biology. In 2023 he published his book, “General Evolutionary Theory of Everything: From the origin of life to the market economy - Beyond Darwin - On the Origin of species in a broader sense.”