<metaphysics, aesthetics> 1. in metaphysics the view according to which the universe is or is like a living organism. The same basic idea is behind the Gaia hypothesis, which claims that the earth is a living thing. Sometimes this is what is meant by holism, especially in popular usage, but holism simply says that all parts of reality are interconnected and does not claim that the earth or the universe is a living thing.
2. in aesthetics, the word organicism is sometimes used in aesthetics to refer to the idea (which goes back at least to Aristotle) that a work of art should be an "organic whole" with all its parts or aspects serving one central purpose.
Based on [The Ism Book]
Edited by Giovanni Benzi
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