Notes
A more precise definition can be found in Schlosser (1998, p. 315).
An autonomous system for Christensen and Bickhard is one that “interactively generates the conditions required for its existence” (Christensen and Bickhard 2002, p. 17).
I am thankful to an anonymous reviewer for suggesting this interpretation of their position.
Self-maintaining systems are systems that make a contribution to maintaining the conditions that are required for their existence. They are similar to what Christensen and Bickhard labeled “autonomous” systems.
The presence of organizational differentiation means that it is possible to distinguish the different contributions to self-maintenance made by the different components of the system.
Organizational closure is defined as “a circular causal relation between some macroscopic (or higher-level) pattern or structure and microscopic (or lower-level) dynamics and reactions” (p. 824).
I take Krohs (2011) to also worry about this sort of issue with respect to organizational theories.
Some of the material in this article is drawn from my doctoral dissertation, Kraemer (2012).
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Kraemer, D.M. Normativity From an Organizational Perspective. Biol Theory 9, 253–257 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13752-013-0149-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13752-013-0149-4