Since the investigations that ultimately led to this book span a period of three decades, it is unfortunately impossible for me to personally acknowledge all those who helped me with information, advice and critique. I wish to express special thanks to Prof. Erhard Oeser, chairman of the Institute of Philosophy of Science at the University of Vienna: over a two-year period I was able to critically discuss my theory with him. This provided me with valuable insights and considerable encouragement. In the course of writing the book I received stimulating suggestions from Prof. Ernst Mayr (Harvard University), who sent me a steady stream of critical remarks and extremely useful suggestions. He, as no other, has a commanding overview of the broad field of evolutionary science, and beyond his seminal books, his personal corrections and pointers were especially important. My colleague Dr. Andreas Hantschk undertook a comprehensive review of the literature and provided me with competent insights from the viewpoint of the younger generation of biologists. He was also responsible for producing the illustrations. I thank my publisher, Mr. Viktor Niemann, for his understanding and regret any problems I may have caused through delays in delivering the manuscript. I am particularly indebted to Mr. Wolfgang Schuler and Mr. Josef Barth for their suggestions on book design and for their impeccable copy-editing skills.
I am fully aware that this book will continue to have
ambiguities and mistakes despite every effort to eradicate them. I would
be grateful for any critical remarks. My theory takes on traditional schools
of thought and fundamental tenets still held today (such as the traditional
organ concept, the species concept, the notion that material structures
of organisms are the criterion of selection). I have therefore made every
effort to avoid misunderstandings by making my presentation simple and
clear. The idea was to provide an overview of the most important topics
and to achieve a balance between brevity and necessary detail. I am fully
aware that this book would have to be expanded considerably to fully address
the many contradictions that arise vis-à-vis traditional interpretations.
Nevertheless, I considered it more important to present a readable book
for the interested layman. After all, the theory of the hypercell organism
seeks to address not only the experts in the respective branches of science,
but also all those who have given thought to their own existence and its
significance.