Animal as a whole, microscope, action at a distance

Affirming that an animal's many parts as seen under the microscope belong to one whole:  this may seem analogous to affirming action at a distance.  For that perspective shows us how each part interacts with other parts, but it doesn't show why these components are parts of one whole.  Any grasping of that unity is to be had by reflection on one's own actions; this unity of the parts eludes a third-person perspective.

It is worth pointing out that there is a lot that one can figure out about planetary movement while accepting action at a distance--even if that assumption is wrong.