monism

American  

[mon-iz-uhm, moh-niz-uhm] / ˈmɒn ɪz əm, ˈmoʊ nɪz əm /

noun

1. Philosophy.

   1. (in metaphysics) any of various theories holding that there is only one basic substance or principle as the ground of reality, or that reality consists of a single element.

   2. (in epistemology) a theory that the object and datum of cognition are identical.

2. the reduction of all processes, structures, concepts, etc., to a single governing principle; the theoretical explanation of everything in terms of one principle.

3. the conception that there is one causal factor in history; the notion of a single element as primary determinant of behavior, social action, or institutional relations.

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monism British  

/ ˈmɒnɪzəm /

noun

1. philosophy the doctrine that the person consists of only a single substance, or that there is no crucial difference between mental and physical events or properties Compare dualism See also materialism idealism

2. philosophy the doctrine that reality consists of an unchanging whole in which change is mere illusion Compare pluralism

3. the epistemological theory that the object and datum of consciousness are identical

4. the attempt to explain anything in terms of one principle only

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monism Cultural  

1. A position in metaphysics that sees only one kind of principle whereas dualism sees two. On the question of whether people's minds are distinct from their bodies, for example, a monist would hold either that mental conditions are essentially physical conditions (materialism), or that bodies depend on minds for their existence (idealism).

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Other Word Forms

• monist noun
• monistic adjective
• monistical adjective
• monistically adverb
• nonmonist noun
• nonmonistic adjective
• nonmonistically adverb
• unmonistic adjective

Etymology

Origin of monism

First recorded in 1860–65; from German Monismus; mon-, -ism

Example Sentences

Distinguish between monism and pluralism in value theory.

From Textbooks • Jun. 15, 2022

They also ignore Marty Lipset's and Earl Raab's use of the concept of monism in describing the right wing in "The Politics of Unreason."

From Salon • Sep. 26, 2020

Thales and other Ionian philosophers who followed espoused a view of reality now called material monism in which everything is matter and nothing else.

From Scientific American • May 8, 2015

Note to the Science Editor of The New York Times: It is also important to examine the ethical implications of the monism which has become something of an untouchable dogma in learned circles.

From New York Times • Jan. 8, 2015

The philosophical basis of monism was never thought out till the time of Spinoza.

From A Critical History of Greek Philosophy by Stace, W. T. (Walter Terence)