PIAGET, SELF-ORGANIZING KNOWLEDGE, AND CRITICAL SYSTEMS PRACTICE

An examination of Piaget's conception of the source, nature, developme nt, and use of knowledge reveals that his model for the genetic develo pment of human knowledge is cybernetic and self-organizing. Moreover, Piaget presents a model of cognition which is a reflection and extensi on of autopoietic biological organization; both cognitive and organic systems are seen to exhibit organizational closure and structural plas ticity. An action-based intervention method, modeling embedded learnin g structures as cybernetic, autopoietic systems, may provide insight t oward clarifying,some theoretical and methodological problems of criti cal systems thinking.