Organicism, Atomism, Family

The most prominent challenge to Political Organicism comes from Social Atomism, according to which there is no Social Whole that is greater than the sum of its Parts, and, accordingly, that there is no Highest Good that is greater than the sum of Individual Highest Goods.  But, the plain and familiar counter-example is the most fundamental of societies--the basic family unit constituted by reproduction and child-rearing.  Not only is this Society more than an adventitious association of three individuals, it also demonstrates the existence of a Good that transcends even all three individual Goods--the propagation of the Species.  And, if the Species is the ground of this Society, than it can be the ground of any.  So, not only does Atomism seem to have no adequate objection to Political Organicism, any association of humans that it can conceive presupposes it.