autopoiesis

Definition

Theory that living systems are 'self producing' mechanisms which maintain their particular form despite material inflow and outflow, through self-regulation and self-reference. Proposed by Chilean scientists Humberto Maturana (1928-) and Francisco Varela (1946-2001) in late 1960s or early 1970s, it combines the concepts of homeostasis and systems thinking.


autopoiesis is...

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