This theoretical basis for Holistic Science is exploratory. Since there are no widely accepted definitions of what it means, there may be parts of this definition which are controversial. Below each section is an opportunity for interested people to make comments and provide feedback.

Holistic Science involves:

• Unifying all the sciences under the auspices of one science


• Recognising that knowledge is infinite


• Acknowledging the usefulness of the concept of God as a representation of the Infinite

All sciences are interconnected. They do not occur in isolation of each other. They all explain the same natural world

Physics was the first field of science and is the primary one.

All the main laws of the universe belong to the field of physics and its scope extends from the subatomic (quantum physics) to the intergalactic (interplanetary motion) covering everything in between.

Describing other sciences in terms of physics we might say the following:

• Chemistry is the physics of molecules and reactions
• Biology is the physics of organic structures and processes
• Psychology is the physics of behaviour and interpersonal relations
• and so on..

All the major scientific laws are physical ones: gravity, relativity, conservation of energy and of momentum, laws of motion and pressure etc. They are all used in other sciences.

Specialization in sciences has occurred as a result of needing to limit the area of expertise any one individual should contemplate, in the face of the overwhelming amounts of knowledge that have been generated in the few centuries since science started to have major impact on human lives.

Removing the aura of multiplicity in science is the first step to take when trying to view its entire output from a holistic viewpoint.

The capacity of potential knowledge is infinite. In other words, there is an infinite amount of knowledge that can be known

Humans can make only tiny tracks through this infinite expanse, tracks which are usually relatively arbitrary and are often the result of the meanderings of particularly curious or creative indivuals. They provide certainty where there was otherwise uncertainty and enable the physical environment to be manipulated where it otherwise wasn't. The ability to forge new tracks of knowledge all connected to the same common source, rapidly and prolifically has been a feature of scientific research in Western countries since the 19th century.

Scientists use as their vehicle in this venture, a set of commonly recognized assumptions which enables knowledge to be easily transferred from one individual to another and down through the generations. That knowledge becomes both social (belonging to the group) and objective (relatively independent of personal perspectives). Often assumptions are later proven to be inadequate, if not quite false, but this doesn't deter the intrepid adventurers, nor does it detract from the progress that the false assumptions enable.

Sometimes individuals make landfall 'accidentally' in a place disconnected from the mainstream. Their skills and knowledge might be valid and useful, but because they are unable to use mainstream assumptions to make the connection with the mainstream track, they are not considered 'scientific'. In this respect the social requirements of science play their part and this knowledge might be ignored by the mainstream.

The difference between science and other human knowledge systems is simply the nature of the assumptions involved. All knowledge systems have their merit and are neither wrong nor invalid. Different knowledge systems have developed to help human society at different times in evolution and they have a complexity which is a reflection of the complexity of the society that they belong to. The scientific knowledge system is the most complex one to date and it is a reflection of the complex world of the 21st century.

Discoveries of knowledge will never cease, since evolution is a continuous process and change introduces new knowledge, therefore the kinds of things humans will need to know will continue to change and evolve.

The concept of God remains an important part of human experience. Through the various main religions, the bulk of the world's population respect God as a focal point in their lives and a factor in how we view the natural world. Science has not eliminated the need for God to play a role because science is not able to answer the same questions that God does. These questions relate to such things the as 'the meaning of life'.

Establishing a relationship between the concept of God and the concept of infinity can help span the often almost impassable gap between religious belief and scientific research.

Consider the following:

• In the world of science the universe is considered to be infinite and time eternal. The concept of infinity is an important part of science.
• To a believer, God, in any of the major religions (Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism), is assumed to be dimensionless, eternal and to be everywhere at once. In this respect God is a very fitting manifestation of Infinity.

The great scientists of history were aware of this and usually made contributions to scientific progress in proportion to their belief in God. Sir Isaac Newton who probably made the single greatest individual contribution to quantitative science wrote as profusely on religion as he did on science and was a firm believer in God, as embodied in Christian ideology.

Everything Affects Everything Else

Essentially, everything affects everything else. In this respect everything is interconnected and every phenomenon has an infinite number of causes. Most of the time, however, it is practical to only consider a handful of causes in any situation and eliminate the rest as unnecessary 'noise', which is a practice that underlies reductionist science. While this produces good results and much progress would not be made without this assumption, it is still fundamentally slightly inaccurate and it is usually not for a decade or so later before this becomes a problem.

Everything is the product of infinite circumstances

Related to the above: at any given time any situation or event is the result of an infinite number of possible circumstances. Nothing is wholly predetermined, every situation is entirely fluid and relies on factors unfolding the whole time.

Through the concept of infinity, embodied in infinite time and space, infinite cause and infinite circumstance, a bridge can be made between science and religious belief. This concept of infinity is as intangible as the religious concept of God, and they could be considered to represent the same thing. Making this assumption/belief enables a connection between science and most other human knowledge systems, which have, at their centre, some concept of God. God, then, no longer remains an anachronistic concept that characterizes early stages in human development. In terms of being a concept that attempts to understand and span the infinite, God is the most important idea in the human dictionary.