Maturana & Varela – Autopoiesis

Source: Autopoiesis and Cognition (1980)

Description

Maturana and Varela introduced the concept of autopoiesis—the idea that living systems are defined by their ability to self-produce and self-maintain. Unlike machines that operate based on external control, an autopoietic system is one that generates and sustains its own identity through continuous internal processes. This framework redefines life not by its material components, but by its ability to maintain organizational closure.

Resonance

PET strongly aligns with the structural heart of autopoiesis: systems that persist through internal pattern maintenance. Both PET and autopoiesis view continuity as the central requirement for system-level identity. PET echoes the idea that meaningful systems must evaluate their own boundaries and reorganize recursively to survive.

Reframing

Maturana and Varela limit autopoiesis to biological systems—those with membranes, chemical regulation, and physical integrity. PET removes this restriction.

In PET, what matters is not what the system is made of, but how it manages its own pattern integrity. A recursive evaluation engine (RE) doesn’t need DNA, metabolism, or cell walls. It needs a structure that detects, evaluates, and corrects for changes that affect its pattern survival.

Autopoiesis provides a powerful biological metaphor. PET provides a platform-agnostic implementation model. Where one describes the cell, the other describes the code.