In this essay it is suggested that, according to genetic epistemology, the subject approaches the world, takes interest in it, and that this is a principle of self-organization. From an ontological point of view, his mode of existence is that of the encounter: the encounter with the world. From the epistemological point of view, his mode of knowledge is that of presence: presence of the world. Constructivism, the thesis that knowledge is the construction of relations, begins with presence, excluding the idea of knowledge as representation. It is emphasized the importance of a notion of self-organization to explain the concept of subject as well as a limit of this notion, when the purpose is to change the world. The conclusion brings some suggestions how to overcome it.
Genetic epistemology; self-organization; intelligence