Totalität

Totalität is a German noun meaning the state or quality of being total, complete, or entire. It denotes the whole as opposed to its parts and is used across disciplines to describe an aggregate, system, or completeness rather than any single element.

In philosophy, totalität refers to the idea of the whole as such—the unity or totality that encompasses its parts. In German idealism and the related Marxist and critical-theory traditions, the term is used to discuss the totality of a system, such as the absolute in Hegel or the social totality in analyses of modern society, where individual elements are seen as interrelated within a larger structure.

In theology, totalität can appear in discussions of divine plenitude—the fullness of God's being or revelation—though the term is not tied to a single doctrinal position and is used more as a conceptual descriptor of completeness.

In mathematics and logic, totalität may describe a relation or function that is defined for every possible input (a total function). In German mathematical writing, terms like totale Funktion are used, though totalität as a standalone noun is more common in philosophical or sociological usage.

Etymology: totalität derives from Latin totus "all", via Late Latin totalitas, and the German word gesamtheit or Ganzheit expresses related notions. See also Gesamtheit, Ganzheit, Total.