title: Question 9: theoretical and artificial construction of the living: redefining the approach from an autopoietic point of view.
abstract: In this article, we would like to discuss some aspects of a theoretical framework for Artificial Life, focusing on the problem of an explicit definition of living systems useful for an effective artificial construction of them. The limits of a descriptive approach will be critically discussed, and a constructive (synthetic) approach will be proposed on the basis of the autopoietic theory of Maturana and Varela.
authors.affiliation: CE.R.CO., University of Bergamo, Piazzale S. Agostino 2, 24129 Bergamo, Italy.
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bich
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Damiano
mesh_terms: D005075:Biological Evolution; D019369:Life; D008962:Models, Theoretical