The three types of functional entities are represented diagramatically below. As Diagram 1 illustrates, every organism must act to sustain its own life; its function thus derives from its own life requirements, as indicated by the red arrow. Diagram 2 shows how the function of a part of an organism (the smaller ellipse) derives from life requirement(s) of the whole organism (the larger ellipse). In Diagram 3, the function of an entity created by an organism is seen to originate in life requirement(s) of that organism.     

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