holism
n 1: the theory that the parts of any whole cannot exist and
cannot be understood except in their relation to the whole;
"holism holds that the whole is greater than the sum of its
parts"; "holistic theory has been applied to ecology and
language and mental states" [syn: {holism}, {holistic
theory}] [ant: {atomic theory}, {atomism}, {atomist
theory}, {atomistic theory}]