autopoiesis

Autopoiesis is a concept describing a system that is capable of reproducing and maintaining itself. The term, coined by biologists Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varela in the 1970s, combines the Greek auto meaning self and poiesis meaning creation. In its original biological formulation, an autopoietic system is a network of processes that produces the components that, in turn, reassemble and sustain the network itself, thereby defining and preserving the system’s organization and boundary.

The defining features of autopoietic systems include organizational closure and self-production. Organizational closure means the network regenerates the very components and relations that constitute the system, generating a boundary that separates the system from its environment but is not fixed a priori. Operational closure implies that the system’s operations depend only on its own components and relations, with environmental inputs interpreted and managed through the system’s autonomous organization.

A classic exemplar is a living cell, whose metabolic network continuously synthesizes and reorganizes the cell’s membranes, enzymes, and structural elements, maintaining life while preserving the cell’s boundary. Autopoiesis emphasizes self-maintenance and self-production rather than mere metabolism or growth.

Beyond biology, the concept has been applied to social and cognitive theories. Notably, Niklas Luhmann extended autopoiesis to social systems, viewing them as self-reproducing networks of communications that generate their own operations. Critics have raised questions about vagueness, circularity, and the scope of applicability to complex non-biological systems.

Regardless of debates, autopoiesis remains influential in discussions of life, cognition, and organization, highlighting how self-generated structure and boundary maintenance support adaptive interaction with the environment.