monism

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monism

monism [Gr.,=belief in one], in metaphysics, term introduced in the 18th cent. by Christian von Wolff for any theory that explains all phenomena by one unifying principle or as manifestations of a single substance. Monistic theorists differ considerably in their choice of a basis of unification. It may be material, as with Ernst Haeckel , who took the substance, or energy, as the only reality. It may be spiritual, as with G. W. Hegel , to whom mind, or spirit, is the reality by which all is to be explained. Or, as in Spinoza , it may be a substance, or Deity, of which body and mind are attributes that are held in equipoise. The opposites of monism are dualism and pluralism .

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Monism

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church | 2000 | | Â© The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church 2000, originally published by Oxford University Press 2000. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Monism. The philosophy which seeks to explain all that is in terms of a single reality. Materialism is a form of Monism. Monism is incompatible with the Christian belief in a radical distinction between the uncreated God and the created order.

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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Monism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Monism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (November 10, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Monism.html

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Monism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved November 10, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Monism.html

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