Autopoiesis

Explanation

Originally developed in biology by Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varela to describe living cells, the concept of autopoiesis was adapted by Niklas Luhmann for sociology. In social systems theory, autopoiesis means that social systems reproduce themselves through their own operations: communication. Social systems are operationally closed—they generate and maintain their own communications without direct input from external actions or consciousness. However, they remain structurally coupled to their environment (including individuals, organizations, and other systems). This perspective allows sociologists to analyze society not as a sum of human actions but as networks of meaning-producing communications that manage complexity through self-reference and differentiation.