monisms

Monism is a philosophical concept asserting that reality is composed of a single fundamental substance or principle. This stands in contrast to dualism, which posits two fundamental substances, and pluralism, which allows for many. Various forms of monism exist, differing in the nature of this ultimate reality. Materialist monism, for example, holds that only matter or physical substance is real, and all phenomena, including consciousness, can be reduced to material processes. Idealist monism, on the other hand, suggests that reality is fundamentally mental or spiritual, with the physical world being a manifestation or product of mind. Neutral monism proposes that the ultimate substance is neither purely mental nor purely physical, but something neutral from which both mind and matter arise. Pantheism is a form of monism that identifies the universe itself as God or as a manifestation of God, implying a single, divine substance pervading all things. The core idea across all monistic viewpoints is the unity of existence at its most basic level.