Abstract
D’arcy Thompson did not consider “what the Greeks called άρµονία” to be a proper subject for scientific investigation: “it is on another plane of thought from the physicist’s that we contemplate their intrinsic harmony and perfection, and ‘see that they are good’ ” (Thompson, 1961, p. 7). But recently the question has been reopened by the theoretical physicist David Bohm (1968a,b). His “remarks on the notion of order,” at one of those posh conferences on theoretical biology, created a major disturbance, and may signify an incipient revolution in biological thinking. I cannot summarize what he had to say; his eloquence should be allowed to speak for itself. But I must state that I count myself as a Bohmist, whether or not he chooses to acknowledge his disciples.
What I understand by “holism” is what the Greeks called άρµονία. This is something exhibited not only by a lyre in tune, but by all the handiwork of craftsmen, and by all that is “put together” by art or nature. It is the “compositeness of any composite whole,” and, like the cognate terms κράσιѕ or σύνθεσιѕ, implies a balance or attunement.
—D’arcy Thompson, On Growth and Form
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Nelson, K. (1973). Does the Holistic Study of Behavior have a Future?. In: Bateson, P.P.G., Klopfer, P.H. (eds) Perspectives in Ethology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-7569-6_8
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