I like Holism: Mis-Use of Words as Explained by a Grammar Nazi

Here are two statements;

"I hate new age therapies. I hate the way they rely on misinformation, ignorance and lies in order to sell their snake oil. I hate the way they pretend to offer answers when in fact they have vague nonsenses. They are experts of nothing and, simply put, I find them broadly repulsive."

"I like Holism. The inclusive nature of holistic thought appeals to me. I like the way it draws things together to provide overarching answers that other areas may struggle with. I'm not an expert in the field but, simply put, the thought of it appeals to me."

These statements should not appear mutually exclusive, yet to the eyes of many they would. Most people would associate the word 'holistic' with the word 'therapy' or (annoyingly) 'medicine', and think of it as some sort of inclusive technique attempting, on its better side, to treat the person instead of the condition. As a result of this, some may see 'holistic' and think of it, at its worst, as the antidote and alternative to science based treatments. However, even if the word has taken on new meaning, its roots are quite different to this understanding.

Holism is a branch of physics. Physics being the most pure sciencsy of the scienciest sciences. As far as I understand it, which admittedly is not very much, its a branch of physics concerned with broad explanations and unifying theories rather than differentiating theories, such as that of the quantum. Regrettably its not the branch of physics concerned with what wanking does to your chakra.

Though meanings of words change over time along with pronunciations and connotations, the root of a word remains and that root retains the same meaning. Misunderstanding the root can lead to misunderstandings in discussion, sometimes with very rude consequences. This is usually done by accident of course, like when my Dad used to refer to me as a 'berk' not realising it was short for 'berkley hunt', which is cockney rhyming slang for something. In the case of holism the root can be seen to be in direct conflict with the new meaning 'holistic' has taken on. This is particularly pertinent as 'holism' is still an active branch of physics.

But why do I have a problem with this usage? Does it really matter if other people want to use this word to mean something else? Why should I care? Its the ignorance that annoys me. Just a quick wikipedia search and they're done. Lazy bastards. Anyway, back to my thesis...