Principles of biological autonomy

by Francisco J. Varela

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 (including language, human cognition, ethics, and environmentalism).

Genres: Biology, Science

328 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Francisco Varela was a biologist, philosopher, and neuroscientist who, together with his teacher Humberto Maturana, is best known for introducing the concept of *autopoiesis to biology*, for bringing phenomenology and first-person approaches to biology and neuroscience, and for co-founding the Mind and Life Institute to promote dialog between science and Buddhism.

Reviews

[Alejandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mind-blowing.

It goes from the mathematical formalization of autonomy to concrete examples in biological systems. The book is full of conceptual distinctions of autonomy and their epistemological implications. A knowledgeable jewel of the autonomous perspective. Despite some technical parts, he presents his arguments in a very nice rhythm, which also shows a good writer behind a great scholar.

[Steve Battle · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say about this extraordinary book? Read this as a companion book to “Autopoiesis and Cognition;” a beautiful and dense, but oftentimes impenetrable meditation on the nature of life. The concept of ‘Autopoiesis’ can wear thin from over-use, but this book sets out the conceptually weaker (in a good way) and wider ranging idea of ‘Autonomy’. We can see autonomy as a halfway house to full autopoiesis, one that is perhaps achievable in the near future by non-living Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. The focus is on systems that maintain and regulate their identity (organisational closure), but not necessarily their physical structure (structural closure). Varela explores this idea from a number of tantalising angles – a cellular automaton based simulation of autopoiesis (a step up on Conway’s ‘Game of Life’), Spencer-Brown’s Laws of Form with an additional recursive operator, autonomous systems as oscillating chemical reaction systems, and the immune system as an autonomous unity. Varela’s tragic death at the age of 54, was indeed a huge loss to science and philosophy.