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A living system, due to its circular organization, is an inductive system and functions always in a predictive manner: what happened once will occur again. Its organization, (genetic and otherwise) is conservative and repeats only that which works. For this same reason living systems are historical systems; the relevance of a given conduct or mode of behavior is always determined in the past.

— Humberto Maturana Biology of Cognition (1970)

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More quotes by Humberto Maturana

Love is the grounding of our existence as humans, and is the basic emotioning in our systemic identity as human beings.

Humberto Maturana et al (1996)

The relations that define a system as a unity, and determine the dynamics of interaction and transformations which it may undergo as such a unity constitute the organization of the machine.

Autopoiesis and cognition: The realization of the living (1980)

By autopoietic organization, Maturana and Varela meant the] processes interlaced in the specific form of a network of productions of components which realizing the network that produced them constitutes it as a unity.

Autopoiesis and cognition: The realization of the living (1980)

Anything said is said by an observer.

to Maturana in: Heinz von Foerster (1979)

Man knows and his capacity to know depends on his biological integrity; furthermore, he knows that he knows. As a basic psychological and, hence, biological function cognition guides his handling of the universe and knowledge gives certainty to his acts; objective knowledge seems possible and through objective knowledge the universe appears systematic and predictable.

Biology of Cognition (1970)

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