1. the theory that society or the universe is like a living organism with interdependent parts
Usage: philosophy; sociology
2. the doctrine that life processes arise from the organization of matter rather than from a vital force
Usage: biology; philosophy

Examples

• The sociologist’s theory was based on organicism, viewing society as a complex living system.
• Organicism suggests that social institutions function like organs in a body.
• His organicism led him to believe that communities naturally develop interdependent relationships.
• The philosopher rejected vitalism in favor of organicism to explain biological phenomena.
• Organicism emphasizes how the whole emerges from the organization of its parts.
• Critics argued that organicism oversimplified the complexity of social structures.