The Great Chain of Being
- 1 July 1993
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Journal of Humanistic Psychology
- Vol. 33 (3) , 52-65
- https://doi.org/10.1177/00221678930333006
Abstract
This essay presents a brief summary of the great chain of being, as historically conceived and as it is reappearing in modern evolutionary and system theories. It particularly addresses the misconception that the notion of "hierarchy" is abstract and linear and reiterates Arthur Koestler's point that "hierarchy," which is a holistic concept of fields within fields, really ought to be called "holoarchy." The implications for psychology of the great holoarchy of being are briefly addressed, and the comprehensive nature of the great chain is related to various modern schools of psychology.Keywords
This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit:
- OdysseyJournal of Humanistic Psychology, 1982
- The Self and Its BrainPublished by Springer Nature ,1977