Defined as "
a network pattern in which the function of each component is to participate in the production or transformation of other components" (from 'The Web of Life' by Fritjof Capra).
This includes metabolism - which is a network of chemicals that form, and are formed from each other. It also includes the proteome (protein analogue of the genome) which includes the enzymes that catalyse metabolism, but also the control proteins that switch the cell into different states. This is a true auto-catalytic system, which generates and maintains itself.
To be autopoietic, a system must be:
- Self bounded.
- Self generating.
- Self perpetuating.
The systems boundary is part of the network. All its components are generated by the network and the components are continually replaced with the passage of time. This is
life.