ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Organismic theory

Okay kiddo, let's talk about something called organismic theory. Imagine you are building a Lego tower. Each block you add makes the tower a little taller, and the tower itself becomes a stronger and more complex structure. Now imagine that you are a living thing, like a plant, animal, or human. Just like the Lego tower, each part of your body, like your organs and tissues, contributes to making you a more complex and stronger living thing. That's where organismic theory comes in!

Organismic theory is a scientific idea that says living organisms are like big, complex machines made up of many smaller parts that work together. An organism is like a big family, where every member has a job to do and they all help each other out. For example, your heart is part of your circulatory system, which pumps blood throughout your body to bring fresh oxygen and nutrients to all your cells. Your lungs help you breathe in oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide, and your digestive system breaks down food and absorbs nutrients to keep you growing and healthy.

The big idea behind organismic theory is that every part of your body is important to your overall health and survival. Just like a Lego tower would fall apart if you took away some of the blocks, your body would not work properly if one of your organs or systems stopped working. You are a whole being, made up of many different parts, and everything has to work together to keep you going.

Now, organismic theory goes even deeper than just saying that you have a bunch of organs and systems working together. It also suggests that there are many different levels of organization within living things. Put simply, there are smaller things that make up bigger things, and everything has its own role to play. For example, your cells are the smallest building blocks of your body, and they work together to form tissues (like muscle or skin). Tissues, in turn, come together to form organs (like your heart or lungs), and organs form systems (like your circulatory or digestive systems). And all those different systems come together to form you, a living, breathing human being!

So there you have it, kiddo - organismic theory is a fancy way of saying that living things are like big machines made up of lots of smaller parts, and everything has to work together to keep them going. Just like you need all the pieces of your Lego tower to make it stand, you need all the parts of your body to keep you healthy and strong!