WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

holistic theory
    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]