
Holism (from ''holon'', a Greek language word meaning ''entity'') is the idea that the properties of a system cannot be determined or explained by the sum of its components alone. The word, along with the adjective holistic, was coined in the early 1920s by Jan Smuts. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Smuts defined holism as "The tendency in nature to form wholes that are greater than the sum of the parts through creative evolution." Holism (or nonreductionism) is sometimes described as the opposite of reductionism, although proponents of scientific reductionism state that it is better regarded as the opposite of greedy reductionism. It may also be contrasted with atomism. ==Types of holism== In addition to being a general approach or way of thinking, holism can be applied to many different areas of study. Ontology holism, for example, holds that reality is fundamentally made of wholes. Confirmation holism in the philosophy of science, on the other hand, simply means that theories should be confirmed or denied as a whole, rather than in parts. Other varieties of holism include Epistemology, social, methodological, Ethics, Semantics, meaning, and Typology holism. ===Holism in physics=== In Quantum mechanics, phenomena seem to arise only in systems and cannot currently be explained by the interaction of the system's individual parts alone. To some observers, this indicates that a non-reductive approach is necessary. David Bohm's Bohm interpretation of quantum mechanics sees the universe as a hologram in motion, which he calls a holomovement. If true, this theory would have many important ramifications for holism in physics. See also: Implicate and Explicate Order according to David Bohm. ===Ontological holism=== In ''The Ghost in the Machine'', Arthur Koestler theorized that existence consists of a vast hierarchy of nested wholes, which he calls a holarchy. Types of wholes constitute levels of organization of the system. These levels include, for example, quarks, protons, atoms, molecules, organelles, cell (biology)s, tissue (biology)s, organisms, populations. Thus, a large-scale body such as the biosphere cannot be understood by only studying the elements, but should be considered as a whole entity, studied through the different hierarchical levels, and with the different relations between the different elements. Some compare Koestler's ontology to the Great Chain of Being. Integral theory (philosophy) philosopher Ken Wilber has expanded upon Koestler's theory significantly. On his view, "it's Turtles all the way down up and all the way down." That is to say, the nested hierarchies of wholes (or holarchies) continue infinitely, both up and down. In his book Sex, Ecology, Spirituality, Wilber articulated twenty tenets that all holons share [http://www.emrgnc.com.au/tenets.htm]. These include the properties of self-transcendence, self-dissolution, and, to varying degrees, consciousness. Systems thinking is closely related to ontological holism. According to systems theory, phenomena such as life, mind and consciousness only arise in systems. This means these things cannot be explained by the study of cells, atoms, or subatomic particles alone, just as the circulatory system cannot be explained by reference to blood cells or muscle cells alone. See also: Co-evolution, Complex systems, Ecology, Emergence, Self-organization ===Typological holism=== In classification and typology, holism means that with only a few well-chosen characteristics, an object (philosophy) or a system can be recognised as a type. Soil, vegetation (land cover), biomes are commonly considered to be wholes and hence can be classified using a set of diagnostic characteristics (see for example ecological land classification). ===Holism in psychology=== Ken Wilber and the Spiral Dynamics theorists consider holism to be a particular transpersonal level of Developmental psychology which occurs subsequent to the integral (philosophy) or systemic level. In Spiral Dynamic theory, holism is the most advanced level of human development that has yet been documented. Wilber, however, sees higher, Mysticism levels. See also gestalt psychology, gestalt therapy, gestalt effect. ===Holism in medicine=== See: Hodges Health Career Model, Holistic health, Nutrition ==Responses to holism== Holism, especially in its metaphysical varieties, is controversial. Many scientists and philosophers regard some of these claims as unfalsifiable or less meaningful than holism's proponents do. Others see them as incorrect or as pseudoscience. Some forms, however, like epistemological and confirmation holism, are mainstream ideas in contemporary philosophy. See also philosophy of language. ==See also== *Buckminster Fuller, Synergetics, Synergy *Holism in science == External links == *[http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=lang_en&safe=off&c2coff=1&q=define%3Aholism Definitions of "holism" on Google] *[http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=lang_en&safe=off&c2coff=1&q=define%3Aholistic Definitions of "holistic" on Google] *[http://www.ecotao.com/holism/ Of Nature's Holism - coevolution in ecosystems.] *[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/physics-holism/ Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy article: "Holism and Nonseparability in Physics"] *[http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/glossary/holism.html U of Oregon Physics Dept on Holism] *[http://www.mech.kuleuven.be/pma/project/goa/hms-int/history.html History of 'Holons'] Philosophy of science ta:முழுதளாவியம்
I'm no expert in academic holism, but I think the "hierarchy of holons" is only one model of holism, and a very limited/limiting one, at that. When I look at reality, it is clear that I (a holon) am directly part of (a) three families (one by birth and two by marriage or partnership), (2) the earth's oxygen cycle, (3) a network of people using this wiki, and (4) a specific bioregion in Oregon, This simply doesn't fit into the supposed "hierarchy of holons". The fact is that overlapping fields and webs of holons co-exist with this supposed hierarchy of holons. My protest is, of course, partially motivated by resistence[sic] to the use of this hierarchical theory to maintain that reality is itself primarily hierarchical and therefore we should accept that hierarchy is an intrinsic aspect—or even the proper organizing principle—of society. I'm afraid both reality and society are much bigger than that. They include and transcend hierarchies. ---- I'm sorry, but I feel that this is a terrible article. It's going to need a major re-write. It is POV, inaccurate, and incomplete. A stub would have been better than what I see here. I mean nothing personal toward the contributor, who I'm sure has written fine articles in other areas, but this particular article will not do. User:Naturyl 16:40, 28 Sep 2003 (UTC) I made a contribution to the current article a long time ago. I had not looked at it since then. I agree with you, and look forward to your article. Perhaps you may consider creating an article on General Smuts, to put the content you might find relevant for it. User:Anthere "Below a[sic] brief overview of this remarkable man and a summay[sic] of his "Theory of Holism" General Smuts had a very much wider experience of life than was usual for an educated man of his time… He was born on a farm In the Western Cape. He attended school for only five years before going on to Victoria College In Stellenbosch where he attained a combined degree In Arts and Science. He was awarded the Ebden scholarship to Cambridge University where he read Law. At Cambridge he distinguished himself by being the only person ever to have written both parts of the Law Tripos in one year and achieve a Double First. He won the George Long Prize for Roman law and Jurisprudence. He was appointed State Attorney in Paul Kruger's Transvaal Republic at the time of the developing friction within the Republic with the "uitlanders" who had strong affiliations to Britain and Germany. He became a successful Boer general during the Anglo-Boer War. After the war he was a senior administrator and negotiator, pressing for reconciliation between Boer and Briton in South Africa, His reconciliation policy was really a practical form of intellectual holism, He played the part of conciliator more and more clearly from then on. In 1917 he put forward the idea of a Commonwealth of Nations, which would replace the old concept of Empire, This world-embracing application of societal holism was a masterstroke, as it produced a unique blend of loyalty to the Crown plus the national pride of the component countries. Smuts and Botha's convictions on the need for reconciliation with the defeated Germany after World War I were not heeded. Smuts predicted that the Versailles Treaty would be the prelude to the next Great War. Smuts holistic philosophy is also evident in the pivotal role he played in the foundation of the League of Nations and later the United Nations, organisations which would strive for world peace. To all this must be added Smuts' grasp of the science of his day. In Jan Christian Smuts we find a unique combination of intellect, talent and experience. We are fortunate that he expounded his life view in the philosophical approach, which he called HOLISM." I cut this, which should be merged with the Jan Smuts page—all this as preliminary to editing down the rest. User:Charles Matthews 10:31, 4 Oct 2003 (UTC) Further big cut "When examining HOLISM one studies the formation and the functioning of combinations (wholes). These wholes, in their turn, combine with others to form more complex combinations. It is clear that this is quite different from scientific analysis, which deals with separating the parts of combinations. Thus HOLISM is natural; an ever-present process using energy, a process of combining, not just mixing, which creates original material by evolutionary processes. This "material" can even be abstract, like music or philosophy. To elaborate on point (iii), one must grasp the fact that the components sometimes surrender the characteristics they had before combining, and that the combination is a different substance e.g. sodium and chlorine, harmful to man individually, when combined as common salt, are an essential part of man's diet, or, hydrogen and oxygen, two explosive gases, combine to form water, a substance which is essential to life and which has very different behaviour and uses from the two gases. Combinations go on to form further, more complex, combinations. Think of the chain of events in which inanimate minerals nourish living cell material (like grass), which nourishes cattle, which, with their milk and meat, nourish people. (Very complex organisms), who have the ability to create, both in the material and the abstract sense. To elaborate on point (ii), at the most basic level, these combinations are formed by the fortuitous proximity of materials, and the occurrence of natural phenomena, such as heat, cold, pressure, light, drought or saturation, giving chemical combinations (like metallic oxides). At a higher level, all living cells assimilate these chemicals, and, stimulated by the phenomena, regenerate themselves in accordance with their life cycle. We enter here the realm in which one life depends on another for survival—lions eat buck; fleas feed on animal blood; one plant is a parasite on another. You can see that the plants and animals are wholes in themselves but are also the interdependent parts of greater and more complex wholes, such as an environmental system. Think how complex a forest is and how important it is that it is healthy and keeps the rivers that flow through it clear. At the human level, the elements of intellectual diversity (choice, compatibility, imagination etc.) enter the picture. People can choose with whom they wish to associate, to what extent and for what purpose. Experience has shown that people who come together for a purpose will often produce ideas and select a course of action very different from the ideas held by anyone individual before the meeting. This is understood, correctly, as creative evolution, and the combination is said to be "greater" than the sum of the parts." A deeper study of Smuts' definition shows up an anomaly, which disturbed Smuts himself. It is the phrase "greater than the sum of the parts". The difficulty lies with the scientifically established facts that energy is not lost, and that the energy-mass aggregate is constant. Smuts was aware that there was an immeasurable aura of possibilities round each part, and suggests that in these auras, when combined, the apparent creative evolution takes place, which makes the whole "greater". (Other authors, particularly Lourens van der Post and Konrad Loerenz, draw attention to the existence and importance of the immeasurable in life.) So perhaps we are left with substituting "different" from "greater than". At the time Smuts was writing, in 1924, the general public was very much aware of three major scientific debates. They were #Einstein's theory of relativity, which emphasised that the universe is a very large whole. #The general composition of the atom; a small, very powerful whole. #Darwin's theory of evolution, which showed how, a variety of species evolved from a common ancestor. Smuts' work collected these theories into a major observation. The nations, who had been enemies during World War I, formed an International body to keep world peace, the League of Nations. It was an attempt to use the immense power of the Holism process to prevent the development of evil power. Sadly, it failed, but a lesson was learned; that in the human field, the outcomes of the holistic process are not always and automatically benevolent. Constant intellectual guardianship is required to direct and adjust the process towards the declared goal, such as lasting peace. "So", you ask, "what use do I make of all this knowledge of Holism?" First, you can recognize well-functioning wholes when you see them and protect them from damage and even help them forward. These could be flourishing parts of the environment, well-run farms or industries, happy families or contented communities. Second, you could look for wholes that are not functioning well and are damaging others. These you could set about trying to improve, Examples would be people damaging the environment by polluting it, removing fuel wood without a replanting programme, or uncontrolled open-cast mining. Third, you could make sure that all the groups of which you are a member, use the tremendous power they have, for the good of those around them, and of their environments, This is not always easy but it gets easier the more success you have. There are some further thoughts connected with Holism well worth studying. A few are #Dead material can support life. Grass that will never grow again feeds cattle; bread keeps us alive; medication restores health, and so on. #Holism is closely linked to systems engineering. #*A car has a fuel system, an ignition system, a propulsion system and many others. The parts undergo no change themselves, surrender none of their characteristics, but combine to form a motoring system with the possibility of controlled powered motion. #* #*When people are brought together synergistically, it is very close to Holism. Although the effect of the people working together is said to be greater than the sum of their individual efforts, there is no creation of original material. #Nature, as a whole, is less wasteful than any of its parts taken separately. For example, there are many species of fish that lay thousands of eggs at a spawning. Many are not fertilized and they become food for other species. Further down the line, many of those fertilized are eaten before reaching maturity by sea birds or seals. #No life is independent. No man is an island. Life is always drawing on the rest of nature to sustain itself. Think of how dependent we all are on rain, fresh air and on the events of day and night, to say nothing of our dependence on each other. #Perfection is sterile. Perfection is taken as that state that neither gives off, nor consumes, energy. That is an unachievable state for any living whole and even the components of atoms are in constant motion. It is thus very interesting that sterile, inanimate substances can support life. Once you have grasped the idea that the Universe is composed of functioning wholes, of differing sizes and with different parts to play, and that we are ail parts of these wholes, you will appreciate that there is nothing daunting in the idea of Holism. It is simply a way of looking at life which helps you to see that life is systematic, not without purpose, and that you, as an intelligent part of it, have a responsibility to make your input creative, constructive and conservative of existing good." I think this makes the current page sensible again. User:Charles Matthews 16:49, 4 Oct 2003 (UTC) ==Issues== There's some good material here, but overall the article needs work. * Holism is enormously controversial. The article does state that there are opposing views, but it provides reasons for holism and gives no sense or pointers to the reasons for denying it. * Several kinds of holism are ignored: epistemological, semantic, ethical. * Metaphysical holism is an ambiguous term; ontological would be preferable. The discussion would benefit from being treated side-by-side with epistemological holism. Not too much work, though. Too busy to start now, though ---- User:Chalst 05:29, 16 Sep 2004 (UTC) == disambiguation == There is now a religion stub at Wholism. Is it time for a disambiguation page? User:DDerby 07:51, 10 Apr 2005 (UTC) -------------------- I have modified the holism definition page to include wholism. In my view holism and wholism whilst having some similarities also have major differences and should not be confused with each other. :Though I know little about wholism/holism, your edit, User:203.220.118.59, seems to take the middle of a description of wholism and say "this is Wholism", thus making the article no longer make sense. Could someone knowledgeable decide if this is a proper edit? User:DDerby 05:32, 14 Apr 2005 (UTC) ==Differences between Holism and Wholism== I can't understand the differences between Wholism and Holism. If I can't, I expect most readers can't. Can someone add something about the differences, or confirm that they don't exist? User:DDerby 05:42, 14 Apr 2005 (UTC) :I personally feel that they are just two diffrent spellings of the same term. There is a link on the Wholism page to a website that claims that wholism is a religion, but a single website does not a religion make. The Wholism article was started by an anonymous user and it was his only edit. --User:Goethean 17:35, 14 Apr 2005 (UTC) ---------------------------------------------- Holism is the idea that the properties of a system cannot be determined or explained by the sum of its components alone. Wholism is a religious philosophy/lifestyle based on the principle that God is the Whole. --203.220.117.212 -------------------------------------------------- == creationism?! == :''Some critics claim holism is an attempted merger of creationism (creative tendency) and evolutionism (creative evolution).'' I've never heard this. Anyone know who claims this? --User:Goethean 15:32, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC) ------------------ To me this sounds more like something that Wholism attempts. --------------------
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Words begining with Holism:
Holism
Holism
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Holism_in_science
Holism
Holism (from ''holon'', a Greek language word meaning ''entity'') is the idea that the properties of a system cannot be determined or explained by the sum of its components alone. The word, along with the adjective holistic, was coined in the early 1920s by Jan Smuts. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Smuts defined holism as "The tendency in nature to form wholes that are greater than the sum of the parts through creative evolution." Holism (or nonreductionism) is sometimes described as the opposite of reductionism, although proponents of scientific reductionism state that it is better regarded as the opposite of greedy reductionism. It may also be contrasted with atomism. ==Types of holism== In addition to being a general approach or way of thinking, holism can be applied to many different areas of study. Ontology holism, for example, holds that reality is fundamentally made of wholes. Confirmation holism in the philosophy of science, on the other hand, simply means that theories should be confirmed or denied as a whole, rather than in parts. Other varieties of holism include Epistemology, social, methodological, Ethics, Semantics, meaning, and Typology holism. ===Holism in physics=== In Quantum mechanics, phenomena seem to arise only in systems and cannot currently be explained by the interaction of the system's individual parts alone. To some observers, this indicates that a non-reductive approach is necessary. David Bohm's Bohm interpretation of quantum mechanics sees the universe as a hologram in motion, which he calls a holomovement. If true, this theory would have many important ramifications for holism in physics. See also: Implicate and Explicate Order according to David Bohm. ===Ontological holism=== In ''The Ghost in the Machine'', Arthur Koestler theorized that existence consists of a vast hierarchy of nested wholes, which he calls a holarchy. Types of wholes constitute levels of organization of the system. These levels include, for example, quarks, protons, atoms, molecules, organelles, cell (biology)s, tissue (biology)s, organisms, populations. Thus, a large-scale body such as the biosphere cannot be understood by only studying the elements, but should be considered as a whole entity, studied through the different hierarchical levels, and with the different relations between the different elements. Some compare Koestler's ontology to the Great Chain of Being. Integral theory (philosophy) philosopher Ken Wilber has expanded upon Koestler's theory significantly. On his view, "it's Turtles all the way down up and all the way down." That is to say, the nested hierarchies of wholes (or holarchies) continue infinitely, both up and down. In his book Sex, Ecology, Spirituality, Wilber articulated twenty tenets that all holons share [http://www.emrgnc.com.au/tenets.htm]. These include the properties of self-transcendence, self-dissolution, and, to varying degrees, consciousness. Systems thinking is closely related to ontological holism. According to systems theory, phenomena such as life, mind and consciousness only arise in systems. This means these things cannot be explained by the study of cells, atoms, or subatomic particles alone, just as the circulatory system cannot be explained by reference to blood cells or muscle cells alone. See also: Co-evolution, Complex systems, Ecology, Emergence, Self-organization ===Typological holism=== In classification and typology, holism means that with only a few well-chosen characteristics, an object (philosophy) or a system can be recognised as a type. Soil, vegetation (land cover), biomes are commonly considered to be wholes and hence can be classified using a set of diagnostic characteristics (see for example ecological land classification). ===Holism in psychology=== Ken Wilber and the Spiral Dynamics theorists consider holism to be a particular transpersonal level of Developmental psychology which occurs subsequent to the integral (philosophy) or systemic level. In Spiral Dynamic theory, holism is the most advanced level of human development that has yet been documented. Wilber, however, sees higher, Mysticism levels. See also gestalt psychology, gestalt therapy, gestalt effect. ===Holism in medicine=== See: Hodges Health Career Model, Holistic health, Nutrition ==Responses to holism== Holism, especially in its metaphysical varieties, is controversial. Many scientists and philosophers regard some of these claims as unfalsifiable or less meaningful than holism's proponents do. Others see them as incorrect or as pseudoscience. Some forms, however, like epistemological and confirmation holism, are mainstream ideas in contemporary philosophy. See also philosophy of language. ==See also== *Buckminster Fuller, Synergetics, Synergy *Holism in science == External links == *[http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=lang_en&safe=off&c2coff=1&q=define%3Aholism Definitions of "holism" on Google] *[http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=lang_en&safe=off&c2coff=1&q=define%3Aholistic Definitions of "holistic" on Google] *[http://www.ecotao.com/holism/ Of Nature's Holism - coevolution in ecosystems.] *[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/physics-holism/ Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy article: "Holism and Nonseparability in Physics"] *[http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/glossary/holism.html U of Oregon Physics Dept on Holism] *[http://www.mech.kuleuven.be/pma/project/goa/hms-int/history.html History of 'Holons'] Philosophy of science ta:முழுதளாவியம்
Holism
I'm no expert in academic holism, but I think the "hierarchy of holons" is only one model of holism, and a very limited/limiting one, at that. When I look at reality, it is clear that I (a holon) am directly part of (a) three families (one by birth and two by marriage or partnership), (2) the earth's oxygen cycle, (3) a network of people using this wiki, and (4) a specific bioregion in Oregon, This simply doesn't fit into the supposed "hierarchy of holons". The fact is that overlapping fields and webs of holons co-exist with this supposed hierarchy of holons. My protest is, of course, partially motivated by resistence[sic] to the use of this hierarchical theory to maintain that reality is itself primarily hierarchical and therefore we should accept that hierarchy is an intrinsic aspect—or even the proper organizing principle—of society. I'm afraid both reality and society are much bigger than that. They include and transcend hierarchies. ---- I'm sorry, but I feel that this is a terrible article. It's going to need a major re-write. It is POV, inaccurate, and incomplete. A stub would have been better than what I see here. I mean nothing personal toward the contributor, who I'm sure has written fine articles in other areas, but this particular article will not do. User:Naturyl 16:40, 28 Sep 2003 (UTC) I made a contribution to the current article a long time ago. I had not looked at it since then. I agree with you, and look forward to your article. Perhaps you may consider creating an article on General Smuts, to put the content you might find relevant for it. User:Anthere "Below a[sic] brief overview of this remarkable man and a summay[sic] of his "Theory of Holism" General Smuts had a very much wider experience of life than was usual for an educated man of his time… He was born on a farm In the Western Cape. He attended school for only five years before going on to Victoria College In Stellenbosch where he attained a combined degree In Arts and Science. He was awarded the Ebden scholarship to Cambridge University where he read Law. At Cambridge he distinguished himself by being the only person ever to have written both parts of the Law Tripos in one year and achieve a Double First. He won the George Long Prize for Roman law and Jurisprudence. He was appointed State Attorney in Paul Kruger's Transvaal Republic at the time of the developing friction within the Republic with the "uitlanders" who had strong affiliations to Britain and Germany. He became a successful Boer general during the Anglo-Boer War. After the war he was a senior administrator and negotiator, pressing for reconciliation between Boer and Briton in South Africa, His reconciliation policy was really a practical form of intellectual holism, He played the part of conciliator more and more clearly from then on. In 1917 he put forward the idea of a Commonwealth of Nations, which would replace the old concept of Empire, This world-embracing application of societal holism was a masterstroke, as it produced a unique blend of loyalty to the Crown plus the national pride of the component countries. Smuts and Botha's convictions on the need for reconciliation with the defeated Germany after World War I were not heeded. Smuts predicted that the Versailles Treaty would be the prelude to the next Great War. Smuts holistic philosophy is also evident in the pivotal role he played in the foundation of the League of Nations and later the United Nations, organisations which would strive for world peace. To all this must be added Smuts' grasp of the science of his day. In Jan Christian Smuts we find a unique combination of intellect, talent and experience. We are fortunate that he expounded his life view in the philosophical approach, which he called HOLISM." I cut this, which should be merged with the Jan Smuts page—all this as preliminary to editing down the rest. User:Charles Matthews 10:31, 4 Oct 2003 (UTC) Further big cut "When examining HOLISM one studies the formation and the functioning of combinations (wholes). These wholes, in their turn, combine with others to form more complex combinations. It is clear that this is quite different from scientific analysis, which deals with separating the parts of combinations. Thus HOLISM is natural; an ever-present process using energy, a process of combining, not just mixing, which creates original material by evolutionary processes. This "material" can even be abstract, like music or philosophy. To elaborate on point (iii), one must grasp the fact that the components sometimes surrender the characteristics they had before combining, and that the combination is a different substance e.g. sodium and chlorine, harmful to man individually, when combined as common salt, are an essential part of man's diet, or, hydrogen and oxygen, two explosive gases, combine to form water, a substance which is essential to life and which has very different behaviour and uses from the two gases. Combinations go on to form further, more complex, combinations. Think of the chain of events in which inanimate minerals nourish living cell material (like grass), which nourishes cattle, which, with their milk and meat, nourish people. (Very complex organisms), who have the ability to create, both in the material and the abstract sense. To elaborate on point (ii), at the most basic level, these combinations are formed by the fortuitous proximity of materials, and the occurrence of natural phenomena, such as heat, cold, pressure, light, drought or saturation, giving chemical combinations (like metallic oxides). At a higher level, all living cells assimilate these chemicals, and, stimulated by the phenomena, regenerate themselves in accordance with their life cycle. We enter here the realm in which one life depends on another for survival—lions eat buck; fleas feed on animal blood; one plant is a parasite on another. You can see that the plants and animals are wholes in themselves but are also the interdependent parts of greater and more complex wholes, such as an environmental system. Think how complex a forest is and how important it is that it is healthy and keeps the rivers that flow through it clear. At the human level, the elements of intellectual diversity (choice, compatibility, imagination etc.) enter the picture. People can choose with whom they wish to associate, to what extent and for what purpose. Experience has shown that people who come together for a purpose will often produce ideas and select a course of action very different from the ideas held by anyone individual before the meeting. This is understood, correctly, as creative evolution, and the combination is said to be "greater" than the sum of the parts." A deeper study of Smuts' definition shows up an anomaly, which disturbed Smuts himself. It is the phrase "greater than the sum of the parts". The difficulty lies with the scientifically established facts that energy is not lost, and that the energy-mass aggregate is constant. Smuts was aware that there was an immeasurable aura of possibilities round each part, and suggests that in these auras, when combined, the apparent creative evolution takes place, which makes the whole "greater". (Other authors, particularly Lourens van der Post and Konrad Loerenz, draw attention to the existence and importance of the immeasurable in life.) So perhaps we are left with substituting "different" from "greater than". At the time Smuts was writing, in 1924, the general public was very much aware of three major scientific debates. They were #Einstein's theory of relativity, which emphasised that the universe is a very large whole. #The general composition of the atom; a small, very powerful whole. #Darwin's theory of evolution, which showed how, a variety of species evolved from a common ancestor. Smuts' work collected these theories into a major observation. The nations, who had been enemies during World War I, formed an International body to keep world peace, the League of Nations. It was an attempt to use the immense power of the Holism process to prevent the development of evil power. Sadly, it failed, but a lesson was learned; that in the human field, the outcomes of the holistic process are not always and automatically benevolent. Constant intellectual guardianship is required to direct and adjust the process towards the declared goal, such as lasting peace. "So", you ask, "what use do I make of all this knowledge of Holism?" First, you can recognize well-functioning wholes when you see them and protect them from damage and even help them forward. These could be flourishing parts of the environment, well-run farms or industries, happy families or contented communities. Second, you could look for wholes that are not functioning well and are damaging others. These you could set about trying to improve, Examples would be people damaging the environment by polluting it, removing fuel wood without a replanting programme, or uncontrolled open-cast mining. Third, you could make sure that all the groups of which you are a member, use the tremendous power they have, for the good of those around them, and of their environments, This is not always easy but it gets easier the more success you have. There are some further thoughts connected with Holism well worth studying. A few are #Dead material can support life. Grass that will never grow again feeds cattle; bread keeps us alive; medication restores health, and so on. #Holism is closely linked to systems engineering. #*A car has a fuel system, an ignition system, a propulsion system and many others. The parts undergo no change themselves, surrender none of their characteristics, but combine to form a motoring system with the possibility of controlled powered motion. #* #*When people are brought together synergistically, it is very close to Holism. Although the effect of the people working together is said to be greater than the sum of their individual efforts, there is no creation of original material. #Nature, as a whole, is less wasteful than any of its parts taken separately. For example, there are many species of fish that lay thousands of eggs at a spawning. Many are not fertilized and they become food for other species. Further down the line, many of those fertilized are eaten before reaching maturity by sea birds or seals. #No life is independent. No man is an island. Life is always drawing on the rest of nature to sustain itself. Think of how dependent we all are on rain, fresh air and on the events of day and night, to say nothing of our dependence on each other. #Perfection is sterile. Perfection is taken as that state that neither gives off, nor consumes, energy. That is an unachievable state for any living whole and even the components of atoms are in constant motion. It is thus very interesting that sterile, inanimate substances can support life. Once you have grasped the idea that the Universe is composed of functioning wholes, of differing sizes and with different parts to play, and that we are ail parts of these wholes, you will appreciate that there is nothing daunting in the idea of Holism. It is simply a way of looking at life which helps you to see that life is systematic, not without purpose, and that you, as an intelligent part of it, have a responsibility to make your input creative, constructive and conservative of existing good." I think this makes the current page sensible again. User:Charles Matthews 16:49, 4 Oct 2003 (UTC) ==Issues== There's some good material here, but overall the article needs work. * Holism is enormously controversial. The article does state that there are opposing views, but it provides reasons for holism and gives no sense or pointers to the reasons for denying it. * Several kinds of holism are ignored: epistemological, semantic, ethical. * Metaphysical holism is an ambiguous term; ontological would be preferable. The discussion would benefit from being treated side-by-side with epistemological holism. Not too much work, though. Too busy to start now, though ---- User:Chalst 05:29, 16 Sep 2004 (UTC) == disambiguation == There is now a religion stub at Wholism. Is it time for a disambiguation page? User:DDerby 07:51, 10 Apr 2005 (UTC) -------------------- I have modified the holism definition page to include wholism. In my view holism and wholism whilst having some similarities also have major differences and should not be confused with each other. :Though I know little about wholism/holism, your edit, User:203.220.118.59, seems to take the middle of a description of wholism and say "this is Wholism", thus making the article no longer make sense. Could someone knowledgeable decide if this is a proper edit? User:DDerby 05:32, 14 Apr 2005 (UTC) ==Differences between Holism and Wholism== I can't understand the differences between Wholism and Holism. If I can't, I expect most readers can't. Can someone add something about the differences, or confirm that they don't exist? User:DDerby 05:42, 14 Apr 2005 (UTC) :I personally feel that they are just two diffrent spellings of the same term. There is a link on the Wholism page to a website that claims that wholism is a religion, but a single website does not a religion make. The Wholism article was started by an anonymous user and it was his only edit. --User:Goethean 17:35, 14 Apr 2005 (UTC) ---------------------------------------------- Holism is the idea that the properties of a system cannot be determined or explained by the sum of its components alone. Wholism is a religious philosophy/lifestyle based on the principle that God is the Whole. --203.220.117.212 -------------------------------------------------- == creationism?! == :''Some critics claim holism is an attempted merger of creationism (creative tendency) and evolutionism (creative evolution).'' I've never heard this. Anyone know who claims this? --User:Goethean 15:32, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC) ------------------ To me this sounds more like something that Wholism attempts. --------------------
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