replication - self-reproduction - autopoiesis

Onar Aam (onar@HSR.NO)
Thu, 24 Aug 1995 01:29:25 +0100


Two claims seem further justification:

self-reproducing is a subset of replicating
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A scientist may replicate an experiment of others. The experiment, however, is
not self-reproducing because it is neither producing itself nor producing a copy
of itself. A virus is replicated using a host-DNA. The virus, however, does not
produce itself nor use its own machinery to replicate itself and is therefore
not self-reproducing.

self-reproducing is a subset of autopoiesis
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The term "producing" indicates that some action is being done: something is
produced. the "re" prefix indicates that something is being produced over again
(i.e. replicated). The "self" prefix indicates that the system is doing it
itself. self-reproduction is thus a subset of autopoiesis because it is a
particular kind of action performed by the autopoietic system.

Note that both viruses and experiments relies on some external production system
for replication.

Onar.