* From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
Synergy (from the
Greek synergos,
συνεργός meaning working together,
circa
1660) refers to the
phenomenon in which two or more discrete influences or agents acting together
create an effect greater than that predicted by knowing only the separate
effects of the individual agents. It is originally a scientific term. Often (but
not always, see Toxicologic synergy, below) the prediction is the sum of the
effects each is able to create independently. The opposite of synergy is
antagonism, the
phenomenon where two agents in combination have an overall effect which is less
than that predicted from their individual effects. Synergism stems from
the 1657
theological
doctrine that human will
cooperates with the
Divine Grace in
regeneration[1].
The term began to be used in the broader, non-theological, sense by 1925.
Synergy can also mean:
-
A mutually advantageous conjunction where the
whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
-
A dynamic state in which combined action is
favored over the sum of individual component actions.
-
Behavior of whole systems unpredicted by the
behavior of their parts taken separately. More accurately known as
emergent behavior[1]
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