bütünleik

Bütünleik is a philosophical and practical concept used to describe the quality of a system as a unified, coherent whole. It highlights that many properties and functions of a system arise from the interactions among its parts, rather than from any single component examined in isolation.

The term appears in contemporary discussions that draw on Turkish-language roots, combining a word meaning 'whole' with a suffix that signals a state or condition. Because bütünleik is not a standardized term, its exact scope can vary among authors, with some readings equating it with integrity, others with systemic cohesion or wholeness.

In practice, bütunleik is used to evaluate or design in ways that favor alignment of goals, processes, and outcomes. It is common in systems thinking, organizational design, urban planning, and ecological or ethical analyses, where the emphasis is on interdependencies, feedback, adaptability, and emergent properties of the whole.

Critics argue that bütunleik can be vague or context-dependent, making it difficult to measure. Its emphasis on the whole may obscure duty at the component level, and it should be complemented with reductionist metrics to ensure clarity in accountability and performance.

It remains a conceptual tool rather than an established framework in most disciplines. See also holism, systems theory, integrity.