He defined a “holon” as “a whole that is a part of a larger whole” and a “holarchy” as “the connection between holons.” Those may be strange and unfamiliar terms, but they describe something very familiar. Your own body is an example of a holarchy. Each cell in your body is a holon—both a self-contained, whole entity and a part of a larger whole, an organ. In the same way, each organ is itself a self-contained whole yet also a part of a larger whole—your body. That series of nested holons—cell to organ to organism—is an example of a holarchy.
