"Self-organization and self-assembly are regularly used interchangeably. As complex system science becomes more popular though, there is a higher need to clearly distinguish the differences between the two mechanisms to understand their significance in physical and biological systems. Both processes explain how collective order is developed from “dynamic small-scale interactions” according to an article in a November/December 2008 issue of Complexity.[1] Self-organization is a nonequilibrium process where self-assembly is a spontaneous process that leads toward equilibrium. Self-assembly requires components to remain essentially unchanged throughout the process. Besides the thermodynamic difference between the two, there is also a difference in formation. The first difference is what “encodes the global order of the whole” in self-assembly where as in self-organization these initial encodings are not necessary. Another slight contrast refers to the minimum number of units needed to make an order. Self-organization appears to have a minimum number of units where as self-assembly does not. These terms are becoming more necessary as more is learned about natural selection. Eventually, these patterns may form one theory regarding the pattern formation in nature."

摘自Wikipedia