自创生:生命与认知

Autopoiesis:Life and Cognition

生命与心智(或认知)的二元论的分离关系是不合理的。从生命本性的角度来理解认知是认知科学中存在的一个重要进路。这个进路的一个核心哲学主张是生命-心智连续性论题。由马图拉纳和瓦雷拉提出并得到进一步发展的自创生理论为科学地确证这个连续性的哲学论题提供了一个重要的理论资源。自创生理论认为生命的根本特征是一个源于内部自我生产过程的自我维持。马图拉纳和瓦雷拉从生命的自创生角度提出了一种不同于表征主义的认知理解,他们主张认知是生命维持其自创生组织完整性的行动或行为。在这个意义上,他们提出生命是认知的充分必要条件,生命与认知是同延的、等值的,因此可以看出他们认可生命-心智的强连续论题。然而,他们关于生命与认知同延的观点受到了一些学者的质疑。围绕这个观点的争论不仅涉及实证研究进展,而且它还涉及人们对"定义"本身的理解和评价。

The dualism of life and mind（cognition）is not reasonable.The understanding of cognition from the perspective of life is an important approach to cognition in cognitive science.A core philosophical idea in this approach is the life-mind continuity thesis.The theory of autopoiesis by H. Maturana and F. Varela offers an important theoretical resource for the scientific confirmation of this continuity.The theory of autopoiesis suggests that the essence of life is selfmaintenance derived from a process of internal self-production.Based on the theory of autopoiesis,Maturana and Varela propose a new kind of understanding of cognition different from representationalism.They claim that cognition is the action or behavior of life to maintain its integrity of autopoietic organization.In this sense,they argue that life is sufficient and necessary for cognition;life is coextensive and equal to cognition.Therefore,it is apparent that they agree with the life-mind strong continuity thesis.However,their views of life and cognition being coextensive encounter some scholars＇suspicions.The debates surrounding these views involve not only the progress in empirical research,but also the understanding and evaluation of the definition itself.