Events

KLI Colloquia are invited research talks of about an hour followed by 30 min discussion. The talks are held in English, open to the public, and offered in hybrid format. 

 

Fall-Winter 2025-2026 KLI Colloquium Series

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https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5881861923?omn=85945744831
Meeting ID: 588 186 1923

 

25 Sept 2025 (Thurs) 3-4:30 PM CET

A Dynamic Canvas Model of Butterfly and Moth Color Patterns

Richard Gawne (Nevada State Museum)

 

14 Oct 2025 (Tues) 3-4:30 PM CET

Vienna, the Laboratory of Modernity

Richard Cockett (The Economist)

 

23 Oct 2025 (Thurs) 3-4:30 PM CET

How Darwinian is Darwinian Enough? The Case of Evolution and the Origins of Life

Ludo Schoenmakers (KLI)

 

6 Nov (Thurs) 3-4:30 PM CET

Common Knowledge Considered as Cause and Effect of Behavioral Modernity

Ronald Planer (University of Wollongong)

 

20 Nov (Thurs) 3-4:30 PM CET

Rates of Evolution, Time Scaling, and the Decoupling of Micro- and Macroevolution

Thomas Hansen (University of Oslo)

 

4 Dec (Thurs) 3-4:30 PM CET

Chance, Necessity, and the Evolution of Evolvability

Cristina Villegas (KLI)

 

8 Jan 2026 (Thurs) 3-4:30 PM CET

Embodied Rationality: Normative and Evolutionary Foundations

Enrico Petracca (KLI)

 

15 Jan 2026 (Thurs) 3-4:30 PM CET

On Experimental Models of Developmental Plasticity and Evolutionary Novelty

Patricia Beldade (Lisbon University)

 

29 Jan 2026 (Thurs) 3-4:30 PM CET

O Theory Where Art Thou? The Changing Role of Theory in Theoretical Biology in the 20th Century and Beyond

Jan Baedke (Ruhr University Bochum)

Event Details

KLI Colloquia
Evolutionary Theories for Social-Ecological Change
Working Group Presentation
2023-04-20 15:00 - 2023-04-20 16:30
KLI
Organized by KLI
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Abstract / topic description:
 
The KLI Working Group on Evolutionary Theory of Social Ecological Change explores the connections between sustainability and evolutionary theory. Our working group started from the premise that many fruitful connections between social-ecological systems research and evolutionary theory have yet to be articulated. Social-ecological systems (SES) research provides a range of approaches for understanding how the complex interactions between humans, social systems, and our environments work, and how we might aim them towards long-term health and resilience.  Formal evolutionary theory has been broadly and usefully applied as a dynamic theory of change of complex phenomena in biology and increasingly in the social sciences.  However, evolution and SES have not been well integrated.  We explored the potential connections between evolutionary theory and SES research. We provide a field guide for practical collaboration across different disciplines. We show how terminological tangles can stymie collaboration between researchers and develop a conceptual mapping to help avoid these tangles. We provide examples of how evolutionary theory might be incorporated into SES research and application. Finally, we propose a rich and broad horizon of possible integrations, studies, applications and research questions that can be addressed by integrating evolutionary theory and SES research. 
 
To learn more about the KLI Working Group: 
 
Report of initial virtual meeting: https://www.kli.ac.at/en/the_kli/news/view/187 
Report of the first meeting of the working group: https://www.kli.ac.at/en/the_kli/news/view/336  
Report of the second meeting: https://www.kli.ac.at/en/the_kli/news/view/347