Autopoiesis
A system that continuously regenerates and maintains itself from within. Living cells are the classic example — they produce the very components that sustain them.
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Origin
Coined in 1972 by Chilean biologists Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varela, combining the Greek auto (self) and poiesis (creation). They needed a word to capture what makes living systems unique — that they continuously produce the very components that sustain them. The idea was formalized in their 1973 book and later influenced fields from sociology to artificial life.
Updated February 22, 2026