• Bartricks
    6k
    No, I understand holism to be a view about how properties behave. That's how it is used in philosophy.
    You are not describing its use in philosophy, but using it in the manner of a hippy. That is, for you it denotes something woolly and to do with how the whole is greater than its parts and we are all one and we are all chanting and drinking sludge and giving birth in rivers and so on.

    You are free to use a word how you wish, but all you are doing is describing how you use it. Again, you are not describing how it is used in philosophy. In philosophy holism is the opposite of atomism, not the opposite of reductionism.
  • EricH
    581
    That's a matter of debate among reductionist holists. Some would argue that you cannot make a hole smaller just by dividing it up,anymore than one can make a pizza larger by cutting it into more slices (although there were some pizzist expansionists in 1920s Austria - and Thickmanstein was briefly one - but it's now been discredited thanks to the work of Stupidda).Bartricks

    Hi Bartricks - I'm pleasantly surprised - you seem to have a sense of humor.
  • Bartricks
    6k
    Hi Bartricks - I'm pleasantly surprised - you seem to have a sense of humor.EricH

    If you've only just noticed that, then you don't.
  • Agent Smith
    9.5k


    As always, much obliged for the informative reply.

    The classical physics of the macroworld is inexplicable in terms of the quantum physics of the microworld - the former is deterministic while the latter is decidely not. That's holism right there, oui monsieur?
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