4 Differences Between Monist and Pluralist Philosophers

The difference between monist and pluralist philosophers It lies in the fact that while the monists seek a unique and reductionist explanation of reality, the pluralists believe that it is multiple and diverse. At Unprofesor.com we tell you.

How were the origins of philosophy? The first philosophers in history numerous questions were asked about the nature of things and the origin of the universe. The answers were in many and diverse lines, thus appearing two philosophical currents that offer us different perspectives on what is the fundamental nature of the universe and reality.

In this lesson of unPROFESOR.com we review with you those two great philosophical currents, the monistic and the pluralistic, and we tell you what are the main differences between monist and pluralist philosophers.

Index

1. What are differences between monist and pluralist philosophers?
2. Types of Monistic Philosophers
3. Types of pluralist philosophers

As he monism, pluralism as dualism They are known as ontologies, that is, they are theories of being or existence. The main differences between monist and pluralist philosophers are:

• The monistic ontologies They establish that reality is made up of a single principle, while the pluralists affirm that reality is made up of multiple substances or principles. Thus, according to Aristotle, monists are those who affirm that the universe is one, understanding that everything that exists is generated or constructed from one, whereas pluralists maintain that everything is more than one and they conceive the plurality as origin. A classification based on one of the most basic pairs of opposites in Greek philosophy: the opposition between the one and the many.
• Monistic approaches consider that the human being is a single reality, which is unitary, thus denying the existence of the mind as a reality other than the brain. For the pluralists, the vision of the monists is insufficient since the multiple cannot arise from the unique.
• Monistic philosophers conceive of reality as essentially static, while pluralists, on the contrary, defend a changing and dynamic view of nature and reality. In this way, monism denies the generation and corruption of things, maintaining the stability of the reality, while for pluralism, the corruption or alteration of things is the result of their constant union and separation.
• Monists maintain that the learned world appears to us in the form of multiplicity, although this is an illusion, while the pluralists also conceive as a unit each one of the elements that make up the universe, that is, they are singular elements and not parts of something like, for example, water, fire or the air.

On the other hand, and throughout the history of philosophy, monist and pluralist philosophers have also opted for different forms of monism or pluralism. Thus, the monistic philosophersThey are divided into the following classification.

materialistic monism

The materialistic philosophers they believe that the only fundamental substance of all things is matter and that even mind and consciousness are the result of material interactions.

idealistic monism

Idealists consider that the only fundamental substance is the mind or consciousness and that material reality is a projection or creation of the mind.

Among the monist philosophers stand out Parmenides, Thales of Miletus, Anaximenes, Anaximander or Pythagoras, among the philosophers of ancient times, or Spinoza, Marx or Hegel. of the modern and contemporary age.

As regards thepluralist philosophers, the forms it presents are the following.

ontological pluralism

Ontological pluralism holds that there are multiple fundamental substances or entities in the universe that exist independently.

epistemological pluralism

Epistemological pluralism refers to the fact that there are multiple valid forms of knowledge, that is, different approaches or perspectives to understand reality.

Among the pluralists we find Empedocles, Anaxagoras, Leucippus and Democritus; and in the modern age Leibniz has been considered a pluralist. In contemporary times, the doctrines of J.F Herbart or William James, among others, stand out.

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