Wordnet 3.0
NOUN (1)
1. 
 the theory that the parts of any whole cannot exist and cannot be understood except in their relation to the whole; 
- Example: "holism holds that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts"- Example: "holistic theory has been applied to ecology and language and mental states"[syn: holism, holistic theory]
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]