The term 'Holon' was coined by the hungarian author
ArthurKoestler in his book "
The ghost in the machine" (1967).
It's a combination of the Greek 'holos', meaning 'whole' and the suffix '-on', meaning 'part'.
-on like in Neutron The term 'holon' was used by
ArthurKoestler to name
recursive and
self-similar structures in
biological and
social entities.
No man is an island - he is a holon. A Janus-faced entity who, looking inward, sees himself as a self-contained unique whole, looking outward as a dependent part. His self-assertive tendency is the dynamic manifestation of his unique wholeness, his autonomy and independence as a holon. Its equally universal antagonist, the integrative tendency, expresses his dependence on the larger whole to which he belongs: his 'part-ness.'.
Another concept introduced by
ArthurKoestler is the
'holarchy'.
Holons, in the sense of Koestler, are essential in hierarchical systems with intelligent performance. They allow the modeling of complex phenomena in a non-reductionistic way.SearchForArthurKoestlersHolons
The Holon is a
systemtheoretical concept (See
SelforganizingOpenHierarchicalOrder). It is derived from the realization that complex systems develop much faster from simpler systems if stable intermediate forms exist
[1].
This realization is expressed in the
ParabelOfTheWatchmakers by
HerbertSimon.
Simple systems that build stable intermediate forms that get more and more complex are necessarily
hierarchical Systems.
According Koestler a holon is a self-similar or fractal structure that is stable, coherent and that consists of several holons as sub-structures and is itself a part of a greater whole.HoloMAS
fractal structure
Two concepts // realisations
- complex systems need stable intermediate forms
- there are no wholes and parts in an absolute sense. Everything is a mixture.[2]
In the context of agents
A holonic agent or simply holon is an agent that itself consists of other (
autonomous) agents.
This recursion in the sense of
ArthurKoestler has no ending. It does not stop in both directions either the 'upwards'-direction nor the 'downwards'-direction of the recursion.
In the context of manufacturing systems
In the field of
HolonicManufacturingSystems the term 'holon' represents the notion of
autonomous and cooperative manufacturing entities.
An entity that maintains its individuality while functioning as part of a whole is called a holon.Java modeling: Holonic software development
Of course when
ModellingHolonicBehavior the developer has to stop the recursion somewhen. Determining the sensible 'when' is an aspect of the modelling-process.
PropertiesOfAHolon
TheJanusEffect
