Date: Wed, 03 Aug 1994 22:15:42 -0600
Following my recent inquiry regarding the use of the concept of Autopoiesis in work on Artificial Neural Networks, Virtual Life, Genetic Algorithems, Self Emergent Systems, etc., I received several comments and questions. The main question was: what is Autopoiesis?
The term "Autopoiesis" was coined by Humberto Maturana in about 1960. Maturana and Francisco Varela use the term to refer to the fundamental process of living systems. Autopoiesis is essentially the mechanism by which living systems continually produce themselves as autonomous unities.
Maturana and Varela: "When we speak of living beings, we presuppose something in common between them...Our proposition is that living beings are characterized in that, literally, they are continually self-producing. We indicate this process when we call the organization that defines them an autopoietic system." And "The most striking feature of an autopoietic system is that it pulls itself up by its own bootstraps and becomes distinct from its environment through its own dynamics, in such a way that both things are inseparable." And "By realizing what characterizes living beings in their autopoietic organization, we can unify a whole lot of empirical data about their biochemistry and cellular functioning. The concept of autopoiesis...explicitly proposes that such data be interpreted from a specific point of view which stresses that living beings are autonomous unities."
I suppose that the theory of Autopoiesis can be accused of structural determinism and/or philosophical idealism but I think these charges can be countered and that Autopoiesis constitutes a completely different paradigm in the understanding of life and cognition. In any event I believe that the intelectual approach offered by this concept has something to offer to ANN, AL, etc.
There was also a request for references:
H.R. Maturana, "The Biology of Cognition"mBCL Report no. 9.0, 1970; H. Maturana and F Varela, "Autopoiesis and Cognition: the Realization of the Living" (Boston: D. Reidel, 1980);
H.R. Maturana and F. J. Varela, "The Tree of Knowledge: the Biological Roots of Human Understanding" (Boston: Shambhala, 1992)
F. Varela, "The Embodied Mind: Cognitive Science and Human Experience" (MIT Press, 1991)
One Reply identified an internet mailing list on Autopoiesis through thinknet@world.std.com (Subscribe Autopoiesis YourFullName UserId@Internet.Address) Topics discussed include: What are the philosophical foundations of Autopoiesis? What are the applications of this theory? and Is this theory a paradigm change for General Systems Theory?
I have also discovered that the term "Autopoiesis" is used in biochemestry and Psychology.
However, I still have not heard from anyone who is using the concept and approach of Autopoiesis in ANN, AL etc.
Thanks all for your response.
Regards
Bill Warriner warriner@leroy.cc.uregina.ca
