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A crushed car is still "the sum of its parts", and it doesn't consume much gas, but it neither rolls nor provide any utility except as scrap. "The whole" implies an order or arrangement, whcih cannot be applied to single atoms. Water and a handful of dirt cannot paint a work of art, compose a song, or generate another "summation" of water and handful of dirt to do the same. An iron atom is not a bridge, but lots of iron atoms can be.

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Q: What does the phrase The whole is greater than the sum of its parts mean?
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Who originated the phrase 'The whole is greater than the sum of its parts'?

1. The whole is more than the sum of its parts. Aristotle, Metaphysica2. Max Wertheimer Gestalt theory (1920s)3. SYNERGETICS: Explorations in the Geometry of Thinking by R. Buckminster Fuller in collaboration with E. J. Applewhite; First Published by Macmillan Publishing Co. Inc. 1975, 1979would appreciate knowing of any other attributions!Additional attribution -- Kurt Koffka: "It has been said: The whole is more than the sum of its parts. It is more correct to say that the whole is something else than the sum of its parts, because summing up is a meaningless procedure, whereas the whole-part relationship is meaningful." (Kurt Koffka, 1935: New York: Harcourt-Brace. p 176) [emphasis added]On that view, "more than" does not mean that the whole is "greater" than the sum of its parts but that it is more than merely the sum of its parts.The remarks of an unidentified poster on a different forum make this point: "One frequently finds Gestalt theory characterized by the notion that a Gestalt or whole is more than the sum of its parts. But in fact Gestalt theory did not make such a claim. Rather, Gestalt theory maintains, there are experienced objects and relationships that are fundamentally different frommere collections of sensations, parts, or pieces, or 'and-sums', as Max Wertheimer called them. So what Gestalt theory actually says about this relationship is that a Gestalt is a whole which is different from the sum of its parts."In fact there is no place in Aristotle's Metaphysics where the phrase"the whole is greater than the sum of its parts"or anything similar can be found!*****In Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, the following quote is attributed to Edward Bulwer Lytton (1805-1873) in: Caxtonia - Differences Between the Urban and Rural Temperment"If the whole be greater than a part, a whole man must be greater than that part of him which is found in a book."


What does positive integer mean?

A whole number greater than zero.


When mean is greater than standard deviation?

Placing a question mark at the end of a phrase does not make it a sensible question. Try to use a whole sentence to describe what it is that you want answered. The Answers community requires more information for this question.


What is a number greater than 1 that has more than two whole numbers?

If by "has more than two whole numbers" you mean more than two factors, the answer is all composite integers.


Is 02 greater than 0.35?

02 is 2. 2 is greater than 0.35 is. If you mean .02 or 0.2, they are both less than 0.35 is.

Related questions

Who originated the phrase 'The whole is greater than the sum of its parts'?

1. The whole is more than the sum of its parts. Aristotle, Metaphysica2. Max Wertheimer Gestalt theory (1920s)3. SYNERGETICS: Explorations in the Geometry of Thinking by R. Buckminster Fuller in collaboration with E. J. Applewhite; First Published by Macmillan Publishing Co. Inc. 1975, 1979would appreciate knowing of any other attributions!Additional attribution -- Kurt Koffka: "It has been said: The whole is more than the sum of its parts. It is more correct to say that the whole is something else than the sum of its parts, because summing up is a meaningless procedure, whereas the whole-part relationship is meaningful." (Kurt Koffka, 1935: New York: Harcourt-Brace. p 176) [emphasis added]On that view, "more than" does not mean that the whole is "greater" than the sum of its parts but that it is more than merely the sum of its parts.The remarks of an unidentified poster on a different forum make this point: "One frequently finds Gestalt theory characterized by the notion that a Gestalt or whole is more than the sum of its parts. But in fact Gestalt theory did not make such a claim. Rather, Gestalt theory maintains, there are experienced objects and relationships that are fundamentally different frommere collections of sensations, parts, or pieces, or 'and-sums', as Max Wertheimer called them. So what Gestalt theory actually says about this relationship is that a Gestalt is a whole which is different from the sum of its parts."In fact there is no place in Aristotle's Metaphysics where the phrase"the whole is greater than the sum of its parts"or anything similar can be found!*****In Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, the following quote is attributed to Edward Bulwer Lytton (1805-1873) in: Caxtonia - Differences Between the Urban and Rural Temperment"If the whole be greater than a part, a whole man must be greater than that part of him which is found in a book."


What does the phrase to a greater or lesser degree mean?

He won't be king, but will be much happier


What those it mean the phrase we the people?

As in... Us, the people of the United States. Its mean the country as a whole.


What does positive integer mean?

A whole number greater than zero.


When mean is greater than standard deviation?

Placing a question mark at the end of a phrase does not make it a sensible question. Try to use a whole sentence to describe what it is that you want answered. The Answers community requires more information for this question.


What does the word speciments mean?

items or parts typical at a whole group


What does the word proportion mean in disign?

the relationship of parts of each other and to the whole


What does the word proportion mean in design?

the relationship of parts to each other and to the whole


What does the phrase give her a cherry twizzler mean?

"Give her a twizzler" means putting your fingers into her private parts.


What does 'The whole is greater than the sum of its parts' mean?

This phrase generally means that the construction of an entity is more important than the individual pieces of the entity on their own. For instance: Lets say the human body is composed of bones, muscle and organs. Now individually, a spleen or a bicep can't do much. But if you put all of it together, you get a body that is capable of walking, talking, breathing, creating and inventing...the sum of which has the capacity to do far more than a pile of bones and muscle can.


What does 0.005 mean?

It means five of the equal parts of a whole thing, after the whole thing has been cut up into 1,000 equal parts. To read it out loud, you say "five thousandths".


What does word analysis mean?

The separation of an intellectual or material whole into its constituent parts for individual study.