| Living systems are inferential, inductive, cognitive, circular, and historical systems, but they are not goal directed. (NC 5-6, 16, BC 10, 15, 39-40, 80, CS 460) |
| Holism (parts of a system cannot represent the whole) (NC 21-22, A 187-88, 192, BC 77-78) |
| Nervous systems, autopoietic systems, and hence, individuals are closed systems; however, these closed systems are sometimes treated as open systems even though they are not open. (CS 460-61, 463, 468) |
| The nervous system always functions in the present mode of time. (NC 11) |
| Reproduction and evolution are not constitutive features of a living system. (A 187, BC 13) |
| A phenomological characteristic of a domain of interaction is autonomy and each domain of interaction maintains its own phenomological basis. (BC 89, A 189, CS 460) |
| Learning is a continuous process of transformation of behavior. (BC 72) |
| There is a difference between the terms "organization" and "structure" with an organization being able to remain unchanged even if its structure changes. (CS 467-68) |
| Cognition is constitutively a subject dependent on phenomenon. (CS 461) |
| An entity can modify the behavior of another organism in two ways: 1) by interacting with it and 2) by communicating (NC 16) |
| A living system is analogous to an instrumental air flight where the pilot does not have access to the outside world and must function only as a controller of the indicators shown on his flight instruments. (BC 81) |
| Our sense organs function as filters making it impossible to make any objective statement about the external world. (CS 458) |
| The use of the notion of information for the analysis of biological systems is fallacious. (CS 458) |
| A cell is an example of an autopoietic organization and a ribosome is an example of an allopoietic organization. (A 188-89) |
| Anything said is said by an observer. (BC 6) |