Trivial and non‐trivial machines in the animal and in man

It was the aim to apply basic epistemological concepts, as presented by Heinz von Foerster, to current problems of medicine and biology.

The relation of genes and human behaviour is an important issue in current medical discourse. Many states and diseases are claimed to be caused by a genetical disposition. To prove the soundness of such claims, a strict methodology has to be applied.

The usual approach of combining genetical findings with observed behaviour is based on an insufficient epistemology. The neglect of recursive processes leads to misinterpretations that have far‐reaching consequences, especially if disease and therapy are concerned.

A precise analysis of recursive traits would allow more reliable models of the relation between genetical disposition and environmental influence.

The paper reflects trivial or non‐trivial relations in social behaviour that are often neglected.