Holism

Some people think things are more than just parts.

A whole thing can act in new ways. One part might be small. But many parts work as one. This helps things grow.

Jan Smuts was a man who thought this way. He said a person is a whole. A person has a body and a mind. These two parts connect to make one person.

He also thought this helps nature change. He believed parts work together to help life grow. This can happen in a creative way. It is not just an accident.

Some people study how words work. They say words are like a web. One word can change the meaning of others. This is a big idea about how we talk.

It is fun to see how things fit. Everything in our world works in a big way.

Have you ever thought about how things work? Some people believe that a whole system is more than just its parts. This big idea is called holism.

Many thinkers say that parts working together create new things. These are called emergent properties. A person is a good example. A person has a body and a mind. These two parts join to make one whole person.

Jan Smuts was a man who wrote about this. He believed nature uses holism to grow. He thought evolution was a creative way for nature to fix itself. It was not just a random accident.

Scientists also use holism in physics. They look at how tiny particles act together. Sometimes, two systems are "entangled." This means they are linked in a way that parts cannot explain alone.

Even the words we use can be holistic. This is called semantic holism. It says words are like a web. If the meaning of one word changes, the meaning of every other word might change too. This makes language a very big and connected system.

Have you ever wondered if a whole system is more than just its parts? This big idea is called holism. Many people believe that a system has special qualities that its separate parts do not have. These special qualities are called emergent properties.

Holism is often the opposite of a view called reductionism. Reductionism says that a system is just a collection of its parts. A holist would say that looking only at the parts misses the bigger picture. This idea helps scientists study many different things in our world.

One important thinker named Jan Smuts helped define this idea. He wrote a book called "Holism and Evolution" in 1926. Smuts believed that holism was part of how the universe works. He said that things like atoms or even a person's personality are wholes. He thought a person's body and mind connect to make one whole person. Smuts also thought that evolution was a creative process. He did not think evolution was just a random accident. Instead, he believed nature uses holism to respond to changes in the world.

Physics also uses the idea of holism to explain how the universe works. In the 20th century, scientists studied quantum mechanics. They found that some physical systems are "entangled." This means two separate systems are linked together. You cannot understand one without looking at the other.

Some physicists use holism as a method to study systems. They believe the best way to understand a liquid is to look at it as a whole. They do not just look at every tiny molecule one by one. This is a very common way for modern physicists to think.

Different scientists have different views on how this works. A man named David Bohm believed in a very literal kind of holism. He thought a physical quantum field guided how particles move. Another scientist named Niels Bohr had a different view. He thought these holistic properties were important when we observe them.

Bohr believed these properties were meaningful during an experiment. This shows that even experts can have different ideas about the same topic.

Holism can even apply to the words we use every day. This is called semantic holism in the study of language. It suggests that words are like a giant, connected web. The meaning of one word depends on the meanings of other words.

If the meaning of one word changes, the whole web might change. This is different from a view called atomism. Atomism says that every word has its own independent meaning. Understanding these connections helps us see how language works as a whole system.

Holism is an interdisciplinary concept regarding the nature of systems. It proposes that systems possess properties as wholes that are distinct from their component parts. This idea is often summarized by the aphorism, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts." When a system reveals qualities that its individual parts do not have, these are called emergent properties.

Holism stands in direct opposition to reductionism. Reductionism is a dominant philosophy in science which suggests systems contain no unique properties beyond their parts. Proponents of holism argue that searching for emergent properties is essential to understanding reality.

Jan Smuts was a key figure in defining this concept. He coined the term "holism" in his 1926 book, *Holism and Evolution*. Smuts proposed that holism represented at least three distinct features of reality. First, he claimed that every measurable physical or psychological thing possesses a nature as a whole. He used examples such as atoms, cells, or an individual's personality. He specifically argued that a person's body and mind are not completely separate. Instead, they connect to represent the holistic nature of a human being.

Smuts also viewed holism as the primary cause of evolution. He rejected the idea that evolution was merely a random accident. He also argued it was not driven by a transcendent force like a God. Smuts criticized thinkers who used Darwinian natural selection to support an accidental view of nature. He perceived evolution as a process where nature corrects itself both creatively and intentionally. He described this as a system's tendency to respond to environmental stressors. In this view, parts work together to move the whole into more advanced states.

In the field of physics, holism is often linked to quantum mechanics. This involves the concept of nonseparability in physical systems. In classical physics, the behavior of individual parts represents the whole. However, quantum theory resists this kind of reductive analysis. For example, two spatially separated quantum systems can become "entangled." This means they are nonseparable, so one system cannot be analyzed without the other.

This exploration provides insight into deep ontological problems regarding the nature of being.

Physicists approach holism through different lenses, such as methodology and metaphysics. Methodological holism is the claim that systems are best understood by their whole properties. A reductionist might try to explain a liquid by studying its individual molecules or electrons. A methodological holist believes this approach is misguided. They argue that important advances come from new concepts at macroscopic levels. These concepts are not logically dependent on microscopic constituents. Metaphysical holism is divided into three specific varieties. Ontological holism suggests systems are not merely their physical parts. Property holism suggests systems have properties independent of their parts. Nomological holism suggests systems follow laws beyond those of their parts.

Theoretical physicist David Bohm provided a literal support for ontological holism. He believed a complete description of the universe requires more than a list of particles. He argued a physical quantum field must exist to guide particle trajectories. In contrast, Niels Bohr held an epistemological view of holism. Bohr believed that an observational apparatus is part of the system being studied. He argued that properties like position and momentum are properties of whole systems. However, Bohr stated these properties are only meaningful during observation. Bohm disagreed, claiming these properties must exist regardless of whether they are observed.

Holism also applies to linguistics through a concept called semantic holism. This theory suggests that the meaning of individual words depends on a web of other words. If the meaning of one word changes, the meaning of every other word in the web changes as well. This is the opposite of atomism, which states word meanings are independent.

There is also a middle view called meaning molecularism. This suggests a change in one word only affects a small set of other words. Semantic holism faces criticism regarding the stability of meaning. Critics argue it conflicts with compositionality, where meaning comes from the structure of an expression's parts.