monism
[mon-iz-uh m, moh-niz-uh m]
- Philosophy.
- (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.Compare dualism(def 2), pluralism(def 1a).
- (in epistemology) a theory that the object and datum of cognition are identical.Compare pluralism(def 1b).
- the reduction of all processes, structures, concepts, etc., to a single governing principle; the theoretical explanation of everything in terms of one principle.
- 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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Origin of monism
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for monism
Historical Examples
But the pleading which Monism is here able to supply can never be silenced.
Mind and Motion and MonismGeorge John Romanes
Just as necessarily does it belong to the essence of Monism to affirm the agency of Will.
Mind and Motion and MonismGeorge John Romanes
But, on the other hand, the theory of Monism is bound to go further than this.
Mind and Motion and MonismGeorge John Romanes
And here it is that I think the theory of Monism comes to the rescue.
Mind and Motion and MonismGeorge John Romanes
Upon the whole, then, I conclude that this is the teaching of Monism.
Mind and Motion and MonismGeorge John Romanes
monism
- 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 propertiesCompare dualism (def. 2) See also materialism (def. 2), idealism (def. 3)
- philosophy the doctrine that reality consists of an unchanging whole in which change is mere illusionCompare pluralism (def. 5)
- the epistemological theory that the object and datum of consciousness are identical
- the attempt to explain anything in terms of one principle only
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Word Origin
C19: from Greek monos single + -ism
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for monism
n.
"the philosophical doctrine that there is only one principle," 1862, from Modern Latin monismus, from Greek monos "alone" (see mono-). First used in German by German philosopher Baron Christian von Wolff (1679-1754).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
monism
[(moh-niz-uhm, mon-iz-uhm)]
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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The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
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