Principles of Biological Autonomy, a new annotated edition

Principles of Biological Autonomy, a new annotated edition PDF Author: Francisco J. Varela
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262381826
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
A new, updated edition of the 1979 classic from one of the foremost authors in cognitive science and theoretical biology, with the original text as well as more than 200 citations to current scientific developments. Francisco Varela’s Principles of Biological Autonomy was a groundbreaking text when it was first published in 1979, putting forth a novel theory of how living systems produce and maintain themselves. This new edition, edited and annotated by cognitive scientists Ezequiel Di Paolo and Evan Thompson—revised and complemented with introductory essays for each part of the book—contains a wealth of ideas relevant to current projects in theoretical biology, cognitive science, systems theory, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of biology. Over 220 margin annotations supplement the reading of the text, linking to subsequent research and broader contemporary debates. This foundational book introduces the key concept of autonomy derived as an elaboration of the idea of autopoiesis (the self-production and self-distinction) of living organisms. Varela covers topics in systems theory, neuroscience, theories of perception, and immune networks, and offers a participatory epistemology that goes on to be further developed in later enactive literature. These ideas are compelling not only for historical reasons but also because they still illuminate current efforts in developing the enactive approach toward wider and more challenging goals (language, human cognition, ethics, environmentalism, etc.).

Principles of Biological Autonomy, a new annotated edition

Principles of Biological Autonomy, a new annotated edition PDF Author: Francisco J. Varela
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262381826
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
A new, updated edition of the 1979 classic from one of the foremost authors in cognitive science and theoretical biology, with the original text as well as more than 200 citations to current scientific developments. Francisco Varela’s Principles of Biological Autonomy was a groundbreaking text when it was first published in 1979, putting forth a novel theory of how living systems produce and maintain themselves. This new edition, edited and annotated by cognitive scientists Ezequiel Di Paolo and Evan Thompson—revised and complemented with introductory essays for each part of the book—contains a wealth of ideas relevant to current projects in theoretical biology, cognitive science, systems theory, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of biology. Over 220 margin annotations supplement the reading of the text, linking to subsequent research and broader contemporary debates. This foundational book introduces the key concept of autonomy derived as an elaboration of the idea of autopoiesis (the self-production and self-distinction) of living organisms. Varela covers topics in systems theory, neuroscience, theories of perception, and immune networks, and offers a participatory epistemology that goes on to be further developed in later enactive literature. These ideas are compelling not only for historical reasons but also because they still illuminate current efforts in developing the enactive approach toward wider and more challenging goals (language, human cognition, ethics, environmentalism, etc.).

Principles of Biological Autonomy

Principles of Biological Autonomy PDF Author: Francisco J. Varela
Publisher: North-Holland
ISBN: 9780444003218
Category : Biological control systems
Languages : en
Pages : 306

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Book Description


Biological Autonomy

Biological Autonomy PDF Author: Alvaro Moreno
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9401798370
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 249

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Book Description
Since Darwin, Biology has been framed on the idea of evolution by natural selection, which has profoundly influenced the scientific and philosophical comprehension of biological phenomena and of our place in Nature. This book argues that contemporary biology should progress towards and revolve around an even more fundamental idea, that of autonomy. Biological autonomy describes living organisms as organised systems, which are able to self-produce and self-maintain as integrated entities, to establish their own goals and norms, and to promote the conditions of their existence through their interactions with the environment. Topics covered in this book include organisation and biological emergence, organisms, agency, levels of autonomy, cognition, and a look at the historical dimension of autonomy. The current development of scientific investigations on autonomous organisation calls for a theoretical and philosophical analysis. This can contribute to the elaboration of an original understanding of life - including human life - on Earth, opening new perspectives and enabling fecund interactions with other existing theories and approaches. This book takes up the challenge.

The Oxford Handbook of Culture and Psychology

The Oxford Handbook of Culture and Psychology PDF Author: Jaan Valsiner
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199366225
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 1149

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Book Description
The goal of cultural psychology is to explain the ways in which human cultural constructions -- for example, rituals, stereotypes, and meanings -- organize and direct human acting, feeling, and thinking in different social contexts. A rapidly growing, international field of scholarship, cultural psychology is ready for an interdisciplinary, primary resource. Linking psychology, anthropology, sociology, archaeology, and history, The Oxford Handbook of Culture and Psychology is the quintessential volume that unites the variable perspectives from these disciplines. Comprised of over fifty contributed chapters, this book provides a necessary, comprehensive overview of contemporary cultural psychology. Bridging psychological, sociological, and anthropological perspectives, one will find in this handbook: - A concise history of psychology that includes valuable resources for innovation in psychology in general and cultural psychology in particular - Interdisciplinary chapters including insights into cultural anthropology, cross-cultural psychology, culture and conceptions of the self, and semiotics and cultural connections - Close, conceptual links with contemporary biological sciences, especially developmental biology, and with other social sciences - A section detailing potential methodological innovations for cultural psychology By comparing cultures and the (often differing) human psychological functions occuring within them, The Oxford Handbook of Culture and Psychology is the ideal resource for making sense of complex and varied human phenomena.

Biological Principles

Biological Principles PDF Author: Joseph Henry Woodger
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780415218030
Category : Biology
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description


The Explanatory Autonomy of the Biological Sciences

The Explanatory Autonomy of the Biological Sciences PDF Author: Wei Fang
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780367707880
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This book argues for the explanatory autonomy of the biological sciences. It does so by showing that scientific explanations in the biological sciences cannot be reduced to explanations in the fundamental sciences, and by demonstrating that biological explanations are advanced by models rather than laws of nature.

Principles of Autonomy

Principles of Autonomy PDF Author: Jan-Erik Lane
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 76

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Book Description


Autopoiesis, a Theory of Living Organizations

Autopoiesis, a Theory of Living Organizations PDF Author: Milan Zeleny
Publisher: North-Holland
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 342

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Book Description


Visual Languages and Applications

Visual Languages and Applications PDF Author: Tadeo Ichikawa
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461305691
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 344

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Book Description
The interface between the user of a computer-based information system and the system itself has been evolving at a rapid rate. The use of a video screen, with its color and graphics capabilities, has been one factor in this evolution. The development of light pens, mice, and other screen image manipulation devices has been another. With these capabilities has come a natural desire to find more effective ways to make use of them. In particular, much work has gone into the development of interface systems that add visual elements such as icons and graphics to text. The desire to use these visual elements effectively in communication between the user and the system has resulted in a healthy competition of ideas and discussion of the principles governing the development and use of such elements. The present volume chronicles some of the more significant ideas that have recently been presented. The first volume in this series on the subject [Visual Languages (Chang, Ichikawa, and Ligomenides, eds. ), Plenum, 1986] covered work done in the early days of the field of visual languages. Here we represent ideas that have grown out of that early work, arranged in six sections: Theory, Design Systems, Visual Programming, Algorithm Animation, Simulation Animation, and Applications. I THEORY Fundamental to the concept of visual languages is the convIctIOn that diagrams and other visual representations can aid understanding and communication of ideas. We begin this volume with a chapter by Fanya S.

What Makes Biology Unique?

What Makes Biology Unique? PDF Author: Ernst Mayr
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780511315992
Category : Biology
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description