Synergy or synergism (Greek: synergía or synergismós = cooperation) refers to the interaction of living beings, substances or forces in such a way that they promote each other or that a mutual benefit is the result. The idea of synergy is expressed, for example, in Aristotle's statement about the whole, which is “more than the sum of its parts” – an idea on which the doctrine of holism is based. Synergies are examined interdisciplinarily in synergetics.