Plural of 'gestalt,' referring to organized wholes or unified forms that are perceived as more than the sum of their parts.
From German 'Gestalt' (form, shape, or configuration), which was adopted into English psychology and philosophy circa 1920s from gestalt psychology research.
Gestalt psychology discovered that our brains don't see isolated dots—they automatically group them into patterns, which is why optical illusions work so well.
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