The term "holism" was coined by Jan Smuts (1870–1950) in his 1926 book Holism and Evolution.
Holism is a philosophical and scientific perspective that emphasizes the importance of studying complex systems as a whole, rather than just as the sum of their individual parts. The holistic approach asserts that the behavior and properties of a complex system can only be fully understood by examining its interactions, relationships, and emergent properties, which cannot be explained by looking at its individual components alone.
Holism is often contrasted with reductionism, which is the philosophical and scientific belief that complex phenomena can be understood by breaking them down into simpler, more fundamental parts or elements. While reductionism has been a useful tool for advancing scientific knowledge, particularly in fields such as physics and chemistry, it has been criticized for oversimplifying complex systems and ignoring emergent properties. The holistic approach is used in various fields, such as biology, ecology, and systems theory, to study complex systems, including living organisms, ecosystems, and social systems. In these fields, the holistic approach is used to study how systems interact with their environment, how the behavior of the system is influenced by its relationships and emergent properties, and how changes in one part of the system can affect the system as a whole. Overall, holism emphasizes the importance of studying complex systems as a whole, rather than just as the sum of their individual parts, and is a useful tool for understanding the behavior and properties of complex systems in various fields of study.
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