Monist:
- Philosophy.
- (in metaphysics) any of various theories holding that there is only one basic substance or principle as the ground of reality, or that reality consists of a single element.
- (in epistemology) a theory that the object and datum of cognition are identical.
- the reduction of all processes, structures, concepts, etc., to a single governing principle; the theoretical explanation of everything in terms of one principle.
- the conception that there is one causal factor in history; the notion of a single element as primary determinant of behavior, social action, or institutional relations. [Dictionary.com]
Noted in “What 350 different theories of consciousness reveal about reality,” Robert Lawrence Kuhn, NewScientist (25 October 2025, paywall):
This first decision comes down to whether a theory is dualist or monist. Dualism, an idea most scientists steer clear of, posits the mental and physical as two deeply distinct substances, neither reducible to the other. For instance, traditional Abrahamic religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – feature a “soul” along with the physical body or brain. On the other hand, monism says that reality in all its manifest forms consists of only one kind of “stuff” at its deepest level. Philosopher Bertrand Russell proposed that a single set of properties underlies both consciousness and the fundamental entities of the physical world.
I admit I tired quickly of this article, which concerned theories of the association between brain and consciousness, and merely skimmed.
