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Holism

The principle that the properties of a given system cannot be reduced to the parts of a system, holding that the whole determines the behavior of parts. Popularly iterated as "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts." Holism in science is related to the concept of emergent properties as formalized in the practice of nonlinear science and systems theory.

Methodological holism stands in opposition to reductionism, which seeks to understand complex systems through examination of the substrates of those systems. Holism approaches understanding of complex systems in a top-down manner, seeking first the principles governing the behaviors of a system as a whole. Holism has been applied to philosophy, sociology and other of the social sciences quite successfully. In classical and quantum physics, holism makes use of concepts of nonseparability and supervenience.

Web Resources On Holism

Holism and Nonseparability in Physics
Holism
Holism (Wikipedia)

Book Resources On Holism

Hume, Holism, and Miracles by David Johnson
Technoromanticism: Digital Narrative, Holism, and the Romance of the Real by Richard Coyne
Holism and Evolution: The original source of the holistic approach to life by Jan Christiaan Smuts, Sanford Holst

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