biology artificial-life cybernetics
Definition
Living System
A living system is a system that maintains and regenerates its own organisation through ongoing interaction with its environment. It persists not as a static object but as a self-maintaining process that exchanges matter, energy, or information in order to remain within a viable region of its state space.
In a broader cybernetic sense, a living system is characterised by homeostasis, adaptive control, and the preservation of an integrated pattern rather than by any specific material substrate alone.