Autopoiesis
Literally "autoproduction" (from the Greek), it is the process through which an organization produces itself. An autopoietic organization is an autonomous and self-maintaining unity which contains component-producing processes. The components, through their interaction, recursively generate the same network of processes which produced them. An autopoietic system is operationally closed and structurally state-determined with no apparent inputs and outputs. A cell, an organism, and perhaps a corporation are examples of autopoietic systems.
Articles on KurzweilAI.net that refer to Autopoiesis
A Jurisprudence of Artilects: Blueprint for a Synthetic Citizen By Frank W. SudiaRelated Links
Self-Organization, Autopoiesis, and EnterprisesAutopoiesis and Coevolution