SYSTEM (Self-referential)
Charles François (2004). SYSTEM (Self-referential), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(2): 3404.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 3404 ▶ |
| Object type | Methodology or model |
- “A system that changes the states of its components in a operationally closed way” (P.M. HEJL, 1992, p.115).
HEJL states the following consequences:
- Self-maintaining systems are necessarily self-referential;
- However, not all self-referential systems are self-maintaining (Ibid).
HEJL gives as an example of this last case, the brain, which could not be self-referential if it was not maintained by the whole biological system.
This neatly shows the difference between independence (inexistent), and autonomy in autopoietic systems.