# Francisco Varela
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محدث:
Francisco Javier Varela García (September 7, 1946 – May 28, 2001) was a Chilean biologist, philosopher, cybernetician, and neuroscientist who, together with his mentor Humberto Maturana, is best known for introducing the concept of autopoiesis to biology, and for co-founding the Mind and Life Institute to promote dialog between science and Buddhism.
== Life and career ==
Varela was born in 1946 in Santiago in Chile, the son of Corina María Elena García Tapia and Raúl Andrés Varela Rodríguez. After completing secondary school at the Liceo Alemán del Verbo Divino in Santiago (1951–1963), like his mentor Humberto Maturana, Varela temporarily studied medicine at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and graduated with a degree in biology from the University of Chile.
Autopoiesis: The Machine That Creates Itself
Ever wonder why your houseplants seem to have a better survival strategy than most political movements? 🌱 Dive into this episode where we unravel the secret life of autopoietic systems—those self-sustaining wonders that make dictators sweat and activists cheer.
Join us as we explore why traditiona…
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Beyond the Brain: Amy Cohen Varela on Sense Making, Consciousness, Kindness, and the ESRI Legacy of Enaction.
What happens when we stop seeing the mind as a computer and start seeing it as an emergent, relational system? In this episode, Erric sits down with Amy Cohen Varela, Chairperson of Mind & Life Europe, to discuss the past, present, and future of contemplative science. Recorded following their meeti…
The GREAT MYSTERY of Water: Why Scientists STILL Can't Explain It! with West Marrin
Every macromolecule in your body is hydrated, so your DNA and your proteins reach each other only through the water between them, and the shell of water around each one sets its shape and its function. West Marrin has spent a career following that fact outward, from the molecular scale to watershed…
Varela Contemplative Science Retreat 2026: Opening Session (Part 1)
In this opening session (Part 1) of the Varela Contemplative Science Retreat, Roshi Joan Halifax welcomes practitioners on-site and online, tracing the retreat’s roots to her decades-long friendship with the late neuroscientist and Buddhist practitioner Francisco Varela and how their conversations …
Varela 2026: In the Grove of Mortality (Part 7)
In Part 7 of the Varela Contemplative Science Retreat, Molly Crockett turns to a question with real stakes in the race of AI development: Can Buddhist ethics be taught to a machine? Drawing on Francisco Varela’s concept of ethical know-how, she distinguishes “knowledge that” — facts and principles …
#68 Knowing & Loving with philosopher Hanne De Jaegher
Philosopher of cognitive science Hanne De Jaegher discusses the profound relationship between loving and knowing as intertwined processes.
The first in what we hope to be many conversations about this inspirational work. With Andrea, Hanne explores the idea that thinking and feeling emerge from th…
#67 Bringing Forth Worlds with philosopher Ezequiel Di Paolo
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Exploring Autonomy, Autopoiesis and the Enactive Approach with Ezequiel Di Paolo
Mirko Prokop talks to Ezequiel Di Paolo about the enactive approach in cognitive science and its roots in Francisco Varela’s work on biological autonomy. They explore the ideas of auto…
Beyond the Blind Spot with philosopher Evan Thompson
Happy 2025 ❤️ everyone.
Here’s the Ad-free audio of this week’s episode. The QBD summary will be coming on the 9th, then we’ll have a two-week break.
In this episode of the research ‘beyond dichotomy’, philosopher Evan Thompson discusses The Blind Spot which delves into the complexities of human p…
Jan Overwijk on Cybernetic Capitalism and Critical Systems Theory
Jan Overwijk discusses critical systems theory, sociologies of closure and openness, and cybernetic capitalism.
Shownotes
Jan Overwijk at the Frankfurt University Institute for Social Research:
https://www.ifs.uni-frankfurt.de/personendetails/jan-overwijk.html
Jan at the University of Humanistic …
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