pluralism

[ploo r-uh-liz-uh m]

noun

Philosophy.
1. a theory that there is more than one basic substance or principle.Compare dualism(def 2), monism(def 1a).
2. a theory that reality consists of two or more independent elements.
Ecclesiastical.
1. the holding by one person of two or more offices at the same time.
2. plurality(def 7a).
Sociology. cultural pluralism.

state or quality of being plural.

Origin of pluralism

First recorded in 1810–20; plural + -ism

Related formsplu·ral·ist, noun, adjectiveplu·ral·is·tic, adjectiveplu·ral·is·ti·cal·ly, adverbnon·plu·ral·is·tic, adjectiveun·plu·ral·is·tic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pluralist

Contemporary Examples of pluralist

But a democratic, pluralist Egypt is a safer neighbor in the long term than one held together by barbed wire and policemen.
Why Egypt Is Too Big to Fail
Rep. Jane Harman
June 14, 2013
Theocratic democracies balance official religions with democratic institutions and pluralist practices.
How To Build A Theocratic Democracy
Janice Stein
November 1, 2012
Instead of fostering a pluralist Zionist conversation, they largely promote a limited set of views.
Australia's Disneyfied Israel
Liam Getreu
October 31, 2012

Historical Examples of pluralist

Bergson is frankly and confessedly not a pluralist at all, but a spiritual monist.
The Complex Vision
John Cowper Powys
"You appear to be a good deal of a pluralist," interrupted Meeking.
In the Mayor's Parlour
J. S. (Joseph Smith) Fletcher
I could maintain their pace, of course: but I'm a Pluralist.
The One and the Many
Milton Lesser
But, alone among post-Kantian metaphysicians, he is a pluralist.
History of Modern Philosophy
Alfred William Benn
There was a great deal about the monist and pluralist views of the universe.
The Letters of William James, Vol. II
William James

British Dictionary definitions for pluralist

pluralism

noun

the holding by a single person of more than one ecclesiastical benefice or office
sociol a theory of society as several autonomous but interdependent groups which either share power or continuously compete for power
the existence in a society of groups having distinctive ethnic origin, cultural forms, religions, etc
a theory that views the power of employers as being balanced by the power of trade unions in industrial relations such that the interests of both sides can be catered for
philosophy
1. the metaphysical doctrine that reality consists of more than two basic types of substanceCompare monism (def. 2), dualism (def. 2)
2. the metaphysical doctrine that reality consists of independent entities rather than one unchanging wholeCompare monism (def. 2), absolutism (def. 2b)

Derived Formspluralist, noun, adjectivepluralistic, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for pluralist

pluralism

1818, as a term in church administration, from plural + -ism. Attested from 1882 as a term in philosophy for a theory which recognizes more than one ultimate principle. In political science, attested from 1919 (in Harold J. Laski) in sense "theory which opposes monolithic state power." General sense of "toleration of diversity within a society or state" is from 1933. Related: Pluralist (1620s, in the church sense); pluralistic.

pluralist in Culture

pluralism

A conviction that various religious, ethnic, racial, and political groups should be allowed to thrive in a single society. In metaphysics, pluralism can also mean an alternative to dualism and monism. A pluralist asserts that there are more than two kinds of principles, whereas the dualist maintains there are only two and a monist only one.