Lesson 3 consists of two texts: an introduction to autopoietic theory by Randal Whitaker and a major text by Humberto Maturana. There are links to the important Website of Randal Whitaker on Autopoiesis, where a bibliography and suggestions for further reading may be found. At the end of this page ...

This introductory tutorial is designed to give you a brief overview of autopoietic theory -- the term I use to denote the work of Chilean biologists Humberto R. Maturana and Francisco J. Varela. The following sections each provide a summary overview of a key concept.