organicism

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or·gan·i·cism

(ôr-găn′ĭ-sĭz′əm)
n.
1. The concept that society or the universe is analogous to a biological organism, as in development or organization.
2. The doctrine that the total organization of an organism, rather than the functioning of individual organs, is the principal or exclusive determinant of every life process.
3. The theory that all disease is associated with structural alterations of organs.
or·gan′i·cist n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

organicism

(ɔːˈɡænɪˌsɪzəm)
n
1. (Biology) the theory that the functioning of living organisms is determined by the working together of all organs as an integrated system
2. (Medicine) the theory that all symptoms are caused by organic disease
3. (Medicine) the theory that each organ of the body has its own peculiar constitution
orˈganicist n, adj
orˌganiˈcistic adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

or•gan•i•cism

(ɔrˈgæn əˌsɪz əm)

n.
1. Philos. the view that some systems resemble organisms in having parts that function in relation to the whole to which they belong. Cf. holism.
2. Pathol. the doctrine that all symptoms arise from organic disease.
3. a view of society as an autonomous entity analogous to and following the same developmental pattern as a biological organism.
[1850–55; organic + -ism]
or•gan`i•cis′mal, or•gan`i•cis′tic, adj.
or•gan′i•cist, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

organicism

1. the theory that all symptoms are due to organic disease.
2. the theory that each of the organs of the body has its own special constitution. — organicist, n. — organicistic, adj.
See also: Medical Specialties
the theory that vital activities stem not from any single part of an organism but from its autonomous composition. Cf. holism, mechanism, vitalism. — organicist, n. — organicistic, adj.
See also: Philosophy
-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun 1. organicism - theory that the total organization of an organism rather than the functioning of individual organs is the determinant of life processes
scientific theory - a theory that explains scientific observations; "scientific theories must be falsifiable"
holism, holistic theory - 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"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
References in periodicals archive ?
Furthermore, "organicists believe that Americans are ever in the process of trying to complete a Revolution that the founders left unfinished" (5).
Fighting over the Founders: How We Remember the American Revolution
Schocket's central thesis is that the battle over what the founding means today pits "essentialists" against "organicists." Essentialists believe the American Revolution was "led by demigods, resulting in an inspired governmental structure and leaving a legacy from which straying would be treason and result in the nation's ruin." Essentialists propose that there's a single, objective truth about the founding that acts as a reservoir from which we can draw lessons about modern politics.
Who owns the founding?
It was into this context that a "not-quite-third" position, that of the Organicists (see Appendix A for glossary), was developed, with a synthesis of positions articulated by Baldwin [6].
Plasticity-mediated persistence in new and changing environments
(59) Matless, Landscape and Englishness, on the differences between planner-preservationists and organicists.
From transport's golden ages to an age of tourism: L.T.C. Rolt, waterway revival and railway preservation in Britain, 1944-54
Contextualists, organicists, and formists tend to lack the precision of mechanistic thinking.
Unified, insular, firmly policed, or fractured, porous, contested, gifted education?
He notes the growth of motives from small germinal intervals and motivic cells, much like other organicists such as Rudolph Reti.
W. A. Mozart
Organicists in the Worms group viewed colonization as a necessary form of reproduction in growing societies.
"Race" and gender in non-Durkheimian French sociology, 1893-1914
Against the anti-urban stance of the organicists, fringe figures often inhabiting the political far right, Matless presents a cavalcade of progressive individuals and ventures -- before, during and after the last war -- ranging from the Cambridgeshire Village Colleges, the post-war New Towns and even the careful pilgrimage route of the CND marchers.
LANDSCAPE AND ENGLISHNESS

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