1. Plural of organicist; people who believe that society, organizations, or systems function like living organisms with interdependent parts.
Usage: academic; formal
2. Scholars or theorists who apply organic or biological metaphors to explain social, political, or economic structures.
Usage: academic; formal

Examples

• Early organicists compared the state to a living body with different organs serving specific functions.
• Some organicists argue that corporations develop cultures similar to those of biological organisms.
• The organicists of the nineteenth century influenced how we think about social cohesion.
• Modern organicists continue to use biological frameworks to understand organizational behavior.
• Critics of organicists contend that such metaphors oversimplify complex social dynamics.