Is the concept of ''Bildung'' superseded by the terms of self-organization, autopoiesis, and emergence?

The recent development of radical constructivism and system theory raises the question whether the concept of self-organization and its functional equivalents - ''autopoiesis'' and ''emergence'' - (SAE) are empirically more substantial and therefore theoretically more appropriate than the classical German notion of ''Bildung''. In discussing this question, the author starts with a summary of current critical arguments against the notion of ''Bildung'' and with a differentiation of four valid dimensions of the concept of ''Bildung''. In a second step, the elements of the concept of SAE are reconstructed as ideal types. Finally, ''Bildung'' and SAE are compared in respect to nine characteristics. It is shown that both notions are equivalent with regard to their paradoxical structure, however, the concept of SAE seems to offer broader possibilities for a reflexive theory of human ontogenesis.