Holon

The holon is Koestler's fundamental unit of hierarchical organization: an entity that operates simultaneously as an autonomous whole and as a component of a larger system. A cell is a holon—a self-contained living unit that is also a part of the tissue. A word is a holon—a self-contained unit of meaning that is also a part of the sentence. A mind is a holon—a self-contained cognitive system that is also a node in the network of culture. Every holon exhibits two complementary tendencies: the self-assertive tendency to maintain its own identity and autonomy, and the participatory tendency to integrate into the larger system. Creative tension between these tendencies is, in Koestler's framework, the engine of both stability and novelty in hierarchical systems.