AUTOCATALYSIS 2)
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A process in which the increase of an element in a system is enhanced by the concentration of the element itself.
The reaction's product is itself the catalyzer.
Autocatalysis is basically a self-amplifying process, but moved by a cyclical positive feedback with relaxation phases. It may however lead, in a limited space, either to a destructive supersaturation or, exceptionally to the emergence of a new level of organization of the elements reaching a critical density. K. KRIPPENDORFF observes that: "Autocatalysis is not to be confused with multiplication through production, including self-reproduction in which the growth of the population is an aggregate property of the productive capability of its individual members" (1986, p.5)
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- 1) General information
- 2) Methodology or model
- 3) Epistemology, ontology and semantics
- 4) Human sciences
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Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science(2020).
To cite this page, please use the following information:
Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science (2020). Title of the entry. In Charles François (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics (2). Retrieved from www.systemspedia.org/[full/url]
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