Unsicherheit und Multiple-Self-Identität: Eine Spekulation über die Voraussetzungen strategischen Handelns

Rational choice-Erklärungen zählen konsistente Präferenzen und eindeutige Informationen zu den Standard-Voraussetzungen erfolgreichen Handelns. Ihnen entspricht eine hinreichend kalkulierbare Handlungsumwelt, die aber nur ausnahmsweise gegeben ist. Reale Handlungswelten sind oft unsicher, veränderlich und nur ungenügend verstehbar. In ihnen neigen sowohl Individuen als auch Organisationen dazu, strategische Ambitionen zugunsten der größeren Sicherheit des regelkonformen bzw. adaptiven Handelns aufzugeben. Die Prämissen "beschränkt rationalen" Entscheidens zwingen die Akteure aber nur insoweit zu einer drastischen Anspruchsreduktion, wie sie am unitarischen Akteurkonzept festhalten. Eine empirische Alternative hierzu ist, daß Akteure durch die simultane Bezugnahme auf mehrere, nicht-integrierte Orientierungssysteme ihre Umweltsensibilität und strategische Kompetenz verbessern. Solche "Multiple Selves" machen von den Vorteilen der parallelen Informationsverarbeitung Gebrauch und vermögen, sofern sie über ausreichend Slack und Ambiguitätstoleranz verfügen, ein deutlich höheres Strategieniveau zu realisieren als wohlintegrierte "Mono-Referenten".Both rational choice explanations and normative political theory assume that intended outcomes were the fruits of an integrated conception of the world as well as of a consistent preference ordering among the actors involved. If, however, parameters and causal relationships of the world are uncertain, changing and not fully comprehensible, requisite preconditions of "well informed" strategic action are not fulfilled. Under these circumstances, individual as well as organizational actors are restricted to myopic adaptions to local environments or to ways of behaviour that are guided by rules and traditions. Drawing on insights from research on "bounded rationality", the paper demonstrates that strategic performance may nevertheless be improved if actors allow for less integrated conceptions of the world, i.e. conceptions that usually are regarded as a kind of pathology. Examples are given of organizations with "multiple self" structures that make use of the advantage of parallel information processing. With additional requirements, such as slack and tolerance for ambiguity, higher levels of attention to environmental change and, thus, of strategic competence may be reached.1. Einleitung 2. Akteurkompetenz als Problem 2.1 Der abwesende Akteur: Befunde der Organisationsforschung 2.2 Der starke Akteur: eine Fiktion der Steuerungstheorie? 3. Unsicherheit als Handlungsbedingung 3.1 Zur Konzeptualisierung von Unsicherheit 3.1.1 Genuine Unsicherheit 3.1.2 Intentionalität 3.1.3 Reproduzierte Unsicherheit 3.2 Orientierungsprobleme 3.2.1 Wissen 3.2.2 Zeithorizont 3.2.3 Interaktion 3.3 Programmierung vs. Wahlfreiheit 4. Adaption an Unsicherheit 4.1 Besonderheiten organisierter Akteure 4.2 Personen als Akteure 4.3 Organisationen als Akteure 4.4 Zwischenbilanz 5. Diskontinuität als Strategieersatz 6. Weltbildpluralismus als Strategieprämisse: Multiple Selve 6.1 Drei Beispiele 6.2 Allgemeine Merkmale 6.3 Multirelationierung als Leistungsquelle 6.3.1 Umweltinduzierte Deutungsdifferenzen 6.3.2 Parallelität 6.3.3 Entlastung durch Überfluß: Slack 6.3.4 Ambiguität und Toleranz 7. Schlußfolgerungen 7.1 Eine akteurtheoretische Bilanz 7.2 Sonstige theoretische und praktische Konsequenzen 7.2.1 Multiple Selves: Adressaten der Steuerungstheorie? 7.2.2 Praktische Konsequenzen 7.3 Schluß Anhang Literatu

Endotoxin Tolerance Acquisition and Altered Hepatic Fatty Acid Profile in Aged Mice

(1) Background: Aging is linked to an altered immune response and metabolism. Inflammatory conditions, such as sepsis, COVID-19, and steatohepatitis are more prevalent in the elderly and steatosis is linked both to severe COVID-19 and sepsis. We hypothesized that aging is linked to a loss of endotoxin tolerance, which normally protects the host from excessive inflammation, and that this is accompanied by elevated levels of hepatic lipids. (2) Methods: An in vivo lipopolysaccharide (LPS) tolerance model in young and old mice was used and the cytokine serum levels were measured by ELISA. Cytokine and toll-like receptor gene expression was determined by qPCR in the lungs and the liver; hepatic fatty acid composition was assessed by GC–MS. (3) Results: The old mice showed a distinct potential for endotoxin tolerance as suggested by the serum cytokine levels and gene expression in the lung tissue. Endotoxin tolerance was less pronounced in the livers of the aged mice. However, the fatty acid composition strongly differed in the liver tissues of the young and old mice with a distinct change in the ratio of C18 to C16 fatty acids. (4) Conclusions: Endotoxin tolerance is maintained in advanced age, but changes in the metabolic tissue homeostasis may lead to an altered immune response in old individuals

Practicing Imperfect Forgiveness

Forgiveness is typically regarded as a good thing - even a virtue - but acts of forgiveness can vary widely in value, depending on their context and motivation. Faced with this variation, philosophers have tended to reinforce everyday concepts of forgiveness with strict sets of conditions, creating ideals or paradigms of forgiveness. These are meant to distinguish good or praiseworthy instances of forgiveness from problematic instances and, in particular, to protect the self-respect of would-be forgivers. But paradigmatic forgiveness is problematic for a number of reasons, including its inattention to forgiveness as a gendered trait. We can account for the values and the risks associated with forgiving far better if we treat it as a moral practice and not an ideal

Settler state apologies and the elusiveness of forgiveness : The purification ritual that does not purify

Peer reviewedPostprin

Pseudoneoplastic lesions of the testis and paratesticular structures

Pseudotumors or tumor-like proliferations (non-neoplastic masses) and benign mimickers (non-neoplastic cellular proliferations) are rare in the testis and paratesticular structures. Clinically, these lesions (cysts, ectopic tissues, and vascular, inflammatory, or hyperplastic lesions) are of great interest for the reason that, because of the topography, they may be relevant as differential diagnoses. The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the pseudoneoplasic entities arising in the testis and paratesticular structures; emphasis is placed on how the practicing pathologist may distinguish benign mimickers and pseudotumors from true neoplasia. These lesions can be classified as macroscopic or microscopic mimickers of neoplasia