Francisco Varela

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/francisco-varela

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Francisco Varela born?September 7, 1946
2. Where was Francisco Varela born?Santiago, Chile
3. What is Francisco Varela known for?Co-development of the theory of autopoiesis and the enactive approach to cognition
4. What is the career?Biologist, neuroscientist, philosopher, and cybernetician
5. Who was Francisco Varela?Francisco Varela was a Chilean scientist and philosopher who studied how living things work and how we think.
6. What is autopoiesis?Autopoiesis is a theory that says living systems create and keep themselves, like a factory that makes only its own parts.

Autopoiesis: A theoretical framework describing living systems as self-producing, self-maintaining, and operationally closed networks.
Enactivism: A theory of cognition emphasizing the role of embodiment, action, and interaction with the environment in shaping understanding.
Cybernetics: The interdisciplinary study of control, feedback, and communication systems in living organisms, machines, and organizations.
Contemplative Science: A field that integrates insights from contemplative practices, such as meditation, with scientific research.