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• Katharina Mader

2001 Spring Conference:
28.–30.3.2001, Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler  

At present, the biological disciplines, whose objects of research include human beings, underline the extensive similarities and common characteristics between humans and other species. Apparently, these biological findings concur with the criticism of anthropocentrism, which is expressed by ethicists in Western philosophy of nature. In contrast to this, biological and philosophical anthropology of the 20th century keep emphasising the exceptional position of humans among the realm of living beings. However, it is not yet clear how this particular role should be characterised, how it should be reconciled with biological findings, and which theoretical and practical conclusions should be drawn from it.

The Spring Symposium took place from 28th to 30th March 2001 in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler. The conference, which was jointly organised by the Europäische Akademie and the Gießen Medical Society, explored the question of the unique position of the human being. It approached the theoretical and practical concept of the exceptional position against the background of present-day knowledge in the biosciences. Furthermore, through interdisciplinary efforts, an attempt was made to clarify those conceptual problems that arise from the idea of the uniqueness of humankind.

Three sections were established:

•  Anthropology from the philosophical and biological point of view,

•  The particular role of the human being against the background of recent biological research,

•  Ethical and legal reflection on the particular position of the human being.

Participants came from Austria, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Latvia, Poland, Russia, Switzerland, the United States and Germany. After a keynote address by H.-R. Duncker, “Man as a biological and cultural being”, the theoretical and practical concept of the exceptional position of the human being was examined in three thematic sections against the background of present-day knowledge in the biosciences, philosophy, sociology and jurisprudence. The sections were chaired by G. Vowinckel, F. Thiele and M. Gutmann.
Contributions: O. Schwemmer, K.-P. Valerius:  “The human: between having a world and being a self”; P. Bateson: “Genes, instinct and Identity”; K. O. Hondrich: “Social existence of man”; C. F. Gethmann: “Die praktische Sonderstellung des Menschen”; R. Müller-Terpitz: “Die Sonderstellung des Menschen im Verfassungsrecht”.

 A conference report was published in the book series “Wissenschaftsethik und Technikfolgenbeurteilung”, Volume 25.