"Turing-Societies" in the Making: Basic Architectures, New Risk-Potentials and New Coordination Problems: Theoretical Explorations into the y2k-Problem

Abstract: Within this paper, a large number of uncommon perspectives for the analysis of contemporary societies will be introduced which run under the heading of a so-called "epigenetic research program". The main emphasis of the epigenetic program lies in a conscious attempt to shed fresh or innovative light on the co-evolution between "knowledge and society". More conventionally, the main focus of this perspective lies in basic innovation processes as well as in the "core dynamics" within socio-economic domains both nationally and globally. Among these innovative conceptual features, one will find unfamiliar notions like "Turing societies", "epigenetic regimes" or "four different layers of societal knowledge bases", or "societal substitution power". Moreover, one will be confronted with a wave of unusual assessments of risk potentials, risk-incidences as well as of the substitution and repair processes inherent in today's societal "fabric". Finally, one will find a comprehensive analysis of the so-called "year 2000-problem" which will be treated as a significant instance in a much wider class of "knowledge based risks" and, above all, of "knowledge based-failures".;