wholismn.
/ˈhəʊlɪz(ə)m/, U.S. /ˈhoʊˌlɪz(ə)m/ Originally Philosophy.
Originally: the doctrine or belief that there is a tendency in nature to form or produce complex wholes which are more than the sum of their parts. Now in wider use: the belief that the parts of a whole can only be understood in relation to the whole; any of various theories or views according to which some whole or system cannot be understood merely in terms of the functioning of its parts; often contrasted with reductionism, atomism. Also: the tendency to view things as a whole; the holistic approach.Often used for stylistic reasons as an alternative to the more common synonymous word holism.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > [noun] > doctrine or study of
holism1926
wholism1928
1928 F. C. Kolbe Catholic View of Holism x. 36 The word [sc. holism] is from the Greek holos, whole, and might be written Wholism, except that scientific terms are generally taken from Latin or Greek so as to be internationally intelligible.
1939 J. E. Boodin Social Mind. p. vii Two conceptions..have recently been emphasized in philosophy and social theory, namely creative synthesis or emergence and wholism or gestaltism... Wholism means that..events can be understood only as figuring in a whole or gestalt.
1962 R. Hauser & H. Hauser Fraternal Soc. 9 The keynote of their work is ‘Wholism’.
1981 Amer. Jrnl. Clin. Biofeedback 4 33 The biofeedback experience also highlights the concept of wholism.
2005 M. Jarvis Psychol. Effective Learning & Teaching viii. 176 Cognitive and learning style was assessed in terms of field dependence..and wholism.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2015; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1928