section_path: Definitions/Living systems
section_name: Living systems
paragraph_text: Living systems
  
  Others take a living systems theory viewpoint that does not necessarily depend on molecular chemistry. One systemic definition of life is that living things are self-organizing and autopoietic (self-producing). Variations of this include Stuart Kauffman 's definition as an autonomous agent or a multi-agent system capable of reproducing itself, and of completing at least one thermodynamic work cycle. This definition is extended by the evolution of novel functions over time.