Final answer:
The notion that 'acceptability is made up of the sum of its parts' reflects how the overall acceptability of something is determined by its individual components and their interrelation, applicable to social policies, collective actions such as grading systems, and even broader philosophical and scientific concepts.
Step-by-step explanation:
The idea that "acceptability is made up of the sum of its parts" can be understood through the lens of social studies, especially within social psychology or sociology.
This idea suggests that the overall acceptability of something is contingent upon the individual components it comprises and how these parts interact with each other.
For example, when considering the acceptability of a social policy, one could analyze the aspects such as its equity, implementation efficiency, and the perceived benefits to all stakeholders. If each of these parts is favorable, the overall acceptability of the policy is likely to be high.
Another application of this principle can be found in evaluating group dynamics or collective actions, such as in the grading system based on competition versus a more collective approach.
The acceptability of either system is judged by its components - individual performance and effort in the former, and a sense of communality and shared outcomes in the latter. In both instances, success or the lack thereof is a sum of factors like attendance, ability, and effort, or the shared average in a collectivist model.
This concept also aligns with philosophical and scientific understandings of systems, such as the idea that humans consist of several functioning parts or the statement that everything is made of atoms.
The acceptability of these claims depends on the aggregative function and reliability of their individual elements or parts.