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Autopoiesis, the unity of a difference: Luhmann and Maturana

The article presents a synopsis of the fruitful relationship between Niklas Luhmann and Humberto Maturana. The Luhmannian theory is a conceptual structure whose dimensions include the understanding of the social as a whole. Notwithstanding the passing of the author in 1998, his posthumous writings are still being published and the influence of his thinking is gradually extended to several domains within social sciences. A core part of that complex thinking was developed with the benefit of concepts that Luhmann adapted from Humberto Maturana's biology. This study explains the workings of such tie and its reach for understanding modern globalized society.

autopoiesis; emergence; operational closure; communication; structural coupling; self-reference


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