A Unified Theory of Self-Organization

This paper presents an attempt to develop a unified theory of self-organization. Three different formulations of self-organization are considered in detail. The first formulation is based on certain systems theoretic generalizations. The second formulation has its origin in a cybernetic framework. The third formulation is based on considerations of system stability. It is shown there is a certain commonality between all these different formulations. The theory is developed and illustrated. There are a number of important implications of a theoretical and epistemological nature. These are discussed.