1. There are two kinds of self-organization. 1) Equilibrial and 2)
non-equilibrial self-organization.
1.1. Examples of equilibrial self-organization: snowflakes, crystals.
1.2. Examples of non-equilibrial self-organization: Benard cells,
vortices, cellular automata, autopoiesis.
2. Living systems are characterized by their autopoiesis
(self-production) and autopoiesis is a subset of
non-equilibrial self-organization.
2.1. Dissipative structures are generally organizationally _open_.
That is, the systems cannot be distinguished from their
environment. They have a certain autonomy, but no
self-control. They are variables of their environment.
2.2. Autopoiesis is a special kind of dissipative structure which
is organizationally _closed_. That is, several dissipative
structures are intertwined circilarly such as to be self-
producing and self-defining. Example of closure: Escher's
drawing hands.
2.2.1 Organizational closure means that the system is able to
distinguish itself from its environment. Examples: the immune
system is able to discriminate between what is the organism and
what is not. A group nurtures members of the group and ejects
non-members. Membership is defined by the group itself.
2.2.2. Autopoiesis is organizationally homeostatic. That is,
deformations in the organization are compensated within
certain limits. Associated with organizational homeostasis is
_drive reduction_. (except perhaps sex drive and curiosity
drive)
2.2.3. An autopoietic system is a perpetual motion machine in the 3rd
sense, i.e. organizationally. The prime example of an
organizational perpetual machine is Plato's city which is
characterized by its "changeless change". "Changeless" refers
to the organization of the city which is perpetuated
eternally, while "change" refers to the fact that new
people, components and resources continuously flow through
the city. Thus, change refers to the fact that an autopoietic
system is thermodynamically open, while changeless refers to
organizational closure.
2.2.4. Time must necessarily stand still in in autopoietic system.
Again this is exemplified by Plato's city. If we leave the
City and then return to it years later we find that there are
some new people and new topics that people talk about in the
streets, but nothing has really changed. While the rest of the
world has moved on, time has stood still in the City.
2.2.5. Autopoiesis is a super-efficient mode of organization. It has
no internal organizational friction, it is perfectly balanced.
It has no lacks and no surplus. All its resources are absorbed
by the self-production. This again supports the notion that
autopoietic systems do not experience time. They do not have
the time to experience time. An example of an autopoietic
state of mind is therefore what in philosophy is called 'flow'.
We enter flow when we do something that completely
encompasses us, that completely absorbs our conscious and
unconscious resources. Nothing more, nothing less, i.e.
perfect balance. We then do not experience time.
3. There must be a level of organization beyond autopoiesis. We
know that we must belong to this level from the fact that both
Surplus and the experience of time are essential to human
being. Autopoiesis is still an important concept, though,
since it is a special state of this higher level as
demonstrated by flow.