Holism - The theory that the parts of a whole are intimately interconnected and cannot exist or be understood without the whole, which is more than the sum of its parts. Holism is often applied to mental states, language and ecology. - Oxford Languages
To understand the world around us, we tend to divide ideas into smaller pieces or elements. We then forget that removing them from their natural context changes their nature.
A fish taken out of the water for study will not survive. It must be studied in its natural habitat, as it is part of a functioning ecosystem and depends on it. The fish and the system are not separate and interdependent. The local ecosystem of the fish is also affected by larger and larger ecosystems. Changing one element has a ripple effect on others. This is true for most things, living or non-living, internal or external. The reduction into smaller pieces without considering the holistic context alters the nature of those things. In fact, the separateness of these things is impossible in nature. Every system is integrated into many smaller and larger systems.
Nature is complex and we often use a reductionist perspective by separating, categorizing and naming the different ‘elements’ and ‘individuals’. This is useful, but we forget the greater truth of the larger context by trying to understand those separate ideas as Lego blocks.
Complicated vs Complex systems. A TV or a rocket is a complicated system with many elements. It has many things happening at once, but if one element fails, the whole system stops working. It is designed to have a linear lifespan. It starts in a factory and ends up in landfill. Nature is a complex system with patterns, loops and cycles. It has many different things happening at once, but if one element or cycle stops working or is unhealthy, the system will adapt and carry on. That change will have a ripple effect on the smaller and larger systems or wholes, often with unintended consequences. Sometimes these changes can be positive (disturbance) but often they are negative to the system as a whole.
We as the observers of a system are also part of the system, as we observe our internal and external world. ‘I’ am a bridge between the two, and I am integrated into both systems. We bring our perspective to the ecosystems or gardens we are managing. Holistic management starts with a paradigm change within ourselves. This applies to all natural systems and ecosystems. Gardens are a whole ecosystem connected to and influenced by smaller and larger ‘wholes’. They are not separate at all. The soil is a complex set of patterns, cycles, and relationships between microbes and other microscopic wholes. All these together make up healthy soil that supports a greater ecosystem above the soil. One cannot exist in a healthy sustainable way as separate, and management must be from the perspective of the ‘whole’.
How wolves change rivers - https://youtu.be/ysa5OBhXz-Q
Term ‘Holism’ coined by Jan Smuts - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holism_and_Evolution