Autopoiesis and Attractors: Mapping the Landscape

Eleven questions. Nine of eleven passes, and you can take it again as often as you like.

Which authors does the module quote for its definition of autopoiesis?

Ilya Prigogine and Isabelle Stengers Stuart Kauffman and Hermann Haken Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varela Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell
How does the module's own definition describe autopoiesis?

An outside force that assembles a system from separate parts and then leaves The self-producing process by which a system keeps regenerating its own parts A random process with no organisation, direction or pattern of any kind A fixed blueprint that stays the same throughout a system's whole existence
To which kinds of system does the module extend autopoiesis?

Biological, social or cognitive systems Only single cells studied in a laboratory Only machines, engines and computers Only the human heart and circulation
In the highlands image, what does the traveller conclude about whether the river chooses its course?

The land alone dictates every single turn of the river Neither: it simply flows, shaped by the land and its own nature The traveller's watching determines the course it takes The river chooses every single bend deliberately and with great care
Which of the three techniques establishes a stable pattern such as daily journaling?

The Dissolve The Anchor The Attractor The Loop
What is 'the Loop' in this module's technique?

Listening to one favourite song on repeat for focus Repeating the same action exactly the same way each day Action, observation, adaptation: the autopoietic loop Returning to the very beginning after every setback
Why does the technique include 'the Dissolve'?

To punish oneself gently for the days when practice was missed To replace the anchor with a stricter and more demanding rule To abandon the practice permanently once it has become too familiar to be useful Letting go of structure mirrors how dissipative structures dissolve and reform
What balance does the module say techniques that scale must strike?

Rigidity combined with steadily increasing speed Effort combined with firm correction and punishment for lapses Silence combined with long periods of isolation Openness with focus, allowing feedback loops without rigidity
How does the module's second question reframe suffering?

As entirely unrelated to growth or change As a sign of personal failure that you ought to be ashamed of As the friction of your system adjusting to deeper currents As proof you chose the wrong path in life
What does the third question invite you to trust?

The very first idea that happens to come to mind The opinion held by the majority of the people around you at the time The detailed plan you made for yourself years ago The attractor pulling you forward even when the path is unclear
Which image does the definition use for the mutual shaping of autopoiesis?

A river shaping itself around stones as the stones shape the river A clock whose gears turn in the same way forever A sculptor carving a statue slowly and patiently from a block of marble A builder laying bricks according to an architect's plan