Material monism
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| - | '''Pneuma''' (πνεύμα) is an [[ancient Greek]] word for "[[breathing|breath]]," and in a religious context for "[[spirit]]" or "[[soul]]." It is given various technical meanings by medical writers and philosophers of antiquity, including: | + | '''Material monism''' is a [[Presocratic]] belief which provides an explanation of the physical world by saying that all of the world's objects are composed of a single element. Among the material monists were the three Milesian philosophers: [[Thales]], who believed that everything was composed of [[water]]; [[Anaximander]], who believed it was ''[[apeiron]]''; and [[Anaximenes of Miletus|Anaximenes]], who believed it was air. |
| - | :* Pneuma, "air in motion, breath, wind," equivalent in the [[material monism]] of [[Anaximenes of Miletus|Anaximenes]] to ''[[Anaximenes of Miletus#Theories|aer]]'' (ἀήρ, "air") as the element from which all else originated; the earliest extant occurrence of the term | + | Although their ideas seem farfetched, these philosophers were the first to give an explanation of the physical world without referencing the supernatural; this opened the way for all modern science (and philosophy), which has the same goal of explaining the world without dependence on the supernatural. |
| - | :* [[Pneuma (ancient medicine)]], the circulating air that is necessary for the systemic functioning of vital organs, according to various medical writers of antiquity | + | |
| - | :* The [[Pneuma (Aristotle)|connate pneuma]] of [[Aristotle]], the warm mobile "air" that in the sperm transmits the capacity for locomotion and certain sensations to the offspring; see also [[Vital heat]] and [[Spontaneous generation#Aristotle|Spontaneous generation: Aristotle]] | + | |
| - | :* [[Pneuma (Stoic)]], the Stoic philosophical concept of the animating warm breath, in both the cosmos and the body | + | |
| - | In [[Judaism|Judaic]] and [[Christianity|Christian]] usage, '''pneuma''' is a common word for "spirit" in the [[Septuagint]] and [[Novum Testamentum Graece|Greek New Testament]], and also refers to: | + | Some modern theorists, such as [[Albert Einstein]], have searched for a theory that explains the world as the product of a single substance, but at a deeper level, one that is beneath the structure of [[atom]]s and even [[quark]]s. |
| - | :*The [[Pneumatic (Gnosticism)|Pneumatic]] or "spiritual human" of [[Gnosticism]] | + | == See also == |
| - | :* Pneuma, a concept of Christian [[pneumatology]] | + | * [[Arche]] |
| - | :*''Pneuma akatharton'', [[unclean spirit]] | + | * [[Dialectical monism]] |
| - | :*[[Pneuma (journal)|''Pneuma'' (journal)]] – subtitled "The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies" | + | * [[Dialectical materialism]] |
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| - | ==Music== | + | |
| - | *[[Pneuma (album)|''Pneuma'']], a 2007 album by post rock band, [[Moving Mountains]]. | + | |
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Material monism is a Presocratic belief which provides an explanation of the physical world by saying that all of the world's objects are composed of a single element. Among the material monists were the three Milesian philosophers: Thales, who believed that everything was composed of water; Anaximander, who believed it was apeiron; and Anaximenes, who believed it was air.
Although their ideas seem farfetched, these philosophers were the first to give an explanation of the physical world without referencing the supernatural; this opened the way for all modern science (and philosophy), which has the same goal of explaining the world without dependence on the supernatural.
Some modern theorists, such as Albert Einstein, have searched for a theory that explains the world as the product of a single substance, but at a deeper level, one that is beneath the structure of atoms and even quarks.
See also
