Autopoiesis and cognition

Artificial Life
Paul Bourgine, John Stewart

Abstract

This article revisits the concept of autopoiesis and examines its relation to cognition and life. We present a mathematical model of a 3D tesselation automaton, considered as a minimal example of autopoiesis. This leads us to a thesis T1: "An autopoietic system can be described as a random dynamical system, which is defined only within its organized autopoietic domain." We propose a modified definition of autopoiesis: "An autopoietic system is a network of processes that produces the components that reproduce the network, and that also regulates the boundary conditions necessary for its ongoing existence as a network." We also propose a definition of cognition: "A system is cognitive if and only if sensory inputs serve to trigger actions in a specific way, so as to satisfy a viability constraint." It follows from these definitions that the concepts of autopoiesis and cognition, although deeply related in their connection with the regulation of the boundary conditions of the system, are not immediately identical: a system can be autopoietic without being cognitive, and cognitive without being autopoietic. Finally, we propose a thesis T2: "A system that is both autopoietic and cognitive is a living system."

References

Jun 1, 1997·Brain and Cognition·F J Varela
Feb 19, 2003·Die Naturwissenschaften·Pier Luigi Luisi
Dec 1, 1995·Behavioural Processes·J Stewart

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Citations

Nov 13, 2009·Acta Biotheoretica·Jacques Demongeot
Mar 10, 2010·Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere : the Journal of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life·Luisa Damiano, Pier Luigi Luisi
Feb 5, 2013·Artificial Life·Xabier E Barandiaran, Matthew D Egbert
Feb 5, 2013·Artificial Life·Tom FroeseTakashi Ikegami
Feb 6, 2014·Artificial Life·Randall D Beer
Feb 15, 2011·Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology·Francis BaillyMael Montevil
Aug 31, 2007·Bio Systems·Marieke Rohde, John Stewart
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Mar 16, 2019·Journal of Sex Research·Anne Fausto-Sterling
Feb 1, 2017·The EMBO Journal·Aneta Koseska, Philippe Ih Bastiaens
Apr 30, 2020·Biology·Jacques Demongeot, Alexandra Henrion-Caude
Feb 25, 2020·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·David Chavalarias
Jan 26, 2021·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Aurèle BoussardAudrey Dussutour
Jan 26, 2021·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·William Bechtel, Leonardo Bich

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