APS definitions do not function independently. Each concept derives its meaning from its role within a unified explanatory system.
Terms such as agency, process, and scale are not isolated descriptors but co-constitutive aspects of viability-oriented, constraint-closed organisation. Their definitions are therefore relational: each term is understood through its connections to others and through the role it plays in explaining how living systems sustain and transform their persistence.
This approach differs from traditional dictionary-style definitions, which treat concepts as self-contained. In APS, definitions operate as part of an explanatory grammar: they clarify how concepts function together to make biological organisation intelligible.
Key Point. APS definitions are relational and system-dependent: each term gains meaning from its role within the explanatory structure of the framework.