Monism

Monism is the metaphysical view that there is only one principle, essence, substance or energy. Monism is to be distinguished from dualism, which holds that ultimately there are two principles, and from pluralism, which holds that ultimately there are many principles.

Ancient philosophers

The following pre-Socratic philosophers described reality as being:

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• Thales: Water
• Anaximander: Apeiron (meaning 'the unknown'). Reality is some, one thing, but we cannot know what.
• Anaximanes: Air
• Pythagoras: Number. Maths entirely describes the world, to the extent that its logical model is the world.
• Heraclitus: Fire (in that everything is in constant flux)
• Parmenides: One. Reality is an unmoving perfect sphere, unchanging, undivided.
• Leucippus of Miletus and his disciple Democritus of Abdera: Atoms and void (i.e. atoms and lack of atoms)
• Empedocles: Earth, Air, Fire, Water: Four Elements - no longer monism.

Neoplatonism is Monistic. Plotinus taught that there was an ineffable transcendant God, 'The One,' of which subsequent realities were emanations. From the One emanates the Divine Mind (Nous), the Cosmic Soul (Psyche), and the World (Cosmos).

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