monism
/ˈmɒnɪz(ə)m
/ /ˈməʊnɪz(ə)m/noun Philosophy & Theology
1A theory or doctrine that denies the existence of a distinction or duality in a particular sphere, such as that between matter and mind, or God and the world.The coherence theory builds in a metaphysical bias towards monism: the idea that everything we know should somehow form one massive ‘complete theory of everything’....
- Paganism on the other hand has adopted a worldview based on monism, where duality is more often perceived as aspects of an encompassing whole.
- He combined ancient classical humanism with Oriental metaphysics to ratify his own down-to-earth brand of philosophical monism.
1.1The doctrine that only one supreme being exists. Compare with pluralism.If this step from monotheism to monism goes too far, in what ways can Judaism respond to a postmodern desire for Oneness?...
- Theism might always be about meaning, but what religion would look like if monism were asserted against theism is an open question.
Derivatives
monist
/ /ˈməʊnɪst / noun & adjective ...- Only monists and missionaries think that differences must be removed, or that differences will just disappear once everyone is ‘liberated’ and free to see the light.
- The other thing that interests me is that the Hippocratics were in a sense the first monists rather than dualists and by that I mean that they argued that the mind equalled the brain.
- In considering how such tensions can be resolved there is an important difference between monists and pluralists in philosophy.
monistic
- It will not succeed in this task if it tries to describe reality neutrally in a perspective of observation, whether this occurs in the form of a monistic or pluralistic metaphysics.
- Totalitarianism rejects these commitments in the name of a monistic vision of human life and an all-powerful government that seeks to implement that vision.
- Instead they have refused assimilation and present themselves as the monistic alternative to the monism of Western modernity.
Origin
Mid 19th century: from modern Latin monismus, from Greek monos 'single'.