Self-Differentiation

The first of the three fundamental processes (S³) of the Idea of Life (Chap. 19.4.1). It corresponds to **"being-with-itself"** as a moment of self-relation (Chap. 19.1) and to the universal relation **"Inner/Inner"** (Chap. 19.7). Self-differentiation describes how a living system organizes and articulates itself **within itself** (e.g., into organs, functions, levels) without thereby losing its unity. The parts are not independent units but **moments of the whole** (an isolated organ, for instance, is dead). The system is **with itself through its articulation**, not despite it. Without self-differentiation, the system would be mere homogeneous mass, not organization.