Holism, Synergy, and Out of the Box Thinking
Exploring altered states and illumination
Sometimes in life, many diverse people, places, and things come together to produce something that is obviously greater than any of the qualities in the individual parts. It is as if two plus two was to equal five. The doctrine that explains this phenomenon is known as holism-fed synergy. Holism emphasizes the priority of a whole over its parts.
Both holism and synergy Holism are very important concepts for the extraordinary individual seeking to create an effective life game strategy.
Any sports fan knows that even in the most logical approach, a certain action by one player can produce surprisingly unexpected behavior in the other players. Scientists are beginning to recognize this. In the life games, we create for ourselves, holism-based models can teach us why unexpected events occur. If the life game you are creating involves diverse fields of interaction, then the holistic game theory can be invaluable.
“We have been trained to think of patterns, with the exception of those of music, as fixed affairs. It is easier and lazier that way but, of course, all nonsense. In truth, the right way to begin to think about the pattern which connects is to think of it as primarily (whatever that means) a dance of interacting parts and only secondarily pegged down by various sorts of physical limits and by those limits which organisms characteristically impose.” ― Gregory Bateson, Mind and Nature
From research related to concepts of holism, and synergy has come a system of thought known as scientific holism. Scientific holism is an unintentional response to the concept in classical game theory that the more specific the mathematical logic you have access to, the more effectively you can analyze the game. Scientific holism holds that the behavior of a system — the elements of a game — cannot be perfectly predicted, no matter how much data is available.
Holism can even be applied to the use of specialized dialects and formal languages. In life, we often define and rigidly apply the organization of words and non-verbal cues communicating detailed, specific ideas in a highly-defined, specialized group. Holism can break us out of this linguistic box and help us to explore the subtleties of language.
Takeaway
Of course from the perspective of science and logic, the idea that the sum might be greater than the parts makes no sense. Still, the concept of holism and synergy has been embraced in many of the social sciences but is still considered a radical concept in the mainstream scientific community, though many physicists have embraced it.
Author: Lewis Harrison is a serial entrepreneur, writer, teacher, public speaker, and seminar leader. He focuses on problem-solving, holistic thought models, self-improvement, personal development, and sharing love with the world. He has suffered from depression earlier in his life.
I am the former host of an absurdist, contrarian, and humor-based Q & A talk radio show on an NPR-affiliated station in NY.
Here is a short excerpt from the show to make you smile.
I have a bottomless passion for the application of game theory in decision-making. My game theory/business website is AskLewisGameTheory.com.
“I am always exploring trends, areas of interest, and solutions to build new stories upon. Again, if you have any ideas, you would like me to write about just email me at [email protected].”
……………..Lewis
A Final Thought
To be able to achieve our full potential, we need to have self-love. For me, that means creating wealth and then using that wealth for philanthropy need to know how to distinguish between actual and ideas born of cognitive bias, fear, and intentional ignorance. We all are seeking love and also searching for ways to connect. The clearer our thinking, and the greater our ability to negotiate, the more likely this will happen. The Medium stories below explore simple ways to stay data-informed and to develop a more meaningful, healthier, and more productive life.
