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Towards a definition of living systems: A theory of ecological support for behavior

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Abstract

It is proposed that the Darwinian theoretical approach and account of living systems has not yet been clearly given. A first approximation to this is attempted, focussing on behavior in evolving environments. A theoretical terminology is defined emphasizing the mutuality of organism and environment and the existence of biologically theoretical entities.

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Reed, E.S., Jones, R.K. Towards a definition of living systems: A theory of ecological support for behavior. Acta Biotheor 26, 153–163 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00048424

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