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Homeostasis

(also see autopoiesis, rigour and other key terms)

Traditional definitions

• When applied to biological and other living systems it is common to find homeostasis defined in terms of a steady state that is sustained by its internal, physical, chemical, and social conditions. (c.f. Wikipedia).
• However, this implies that it is equivalent to first order self-regulation in simple mechanical feedback systems
  • e.g. thermostats (see glossary entry)
  • e.g. governors on steam engines.
• Damasio (2019) avoids this interpretation by offering a broader description of the process that include feelings and emotions, suggesting that:
  • (homeostasis)...ensures that life is regulated within a range that is not just compatible with survival but also conducive to flourishing, to a projection of life into the future of an organism or a species.

Further reading

• Cannon, W.B., 1929. Organization for physiological homeostasis. Physiological reviews, 9(3), pp.399-431.
• Damasio, A., 2019. The strange order of things: Life, feeling, and the making of cultures. Vintage.