the One
Quick Summary
The Eleatic One, a concept in Eleatic philosophy, asserts that Being is singular, continuous, and indivisible. This idea, primarily attributed to Parmenides, posits that only Being exists, and anything else is nothing. Aristotle elaborated that since only Being exists, there can be no second, separate thing. Furthermore, without "Not-Being," nothing can divide Being from Being, making it whole and continuous.1
This concept influenced later thinkers, including Plato, who explored the idea of abstract forms as singular entities. Neoplatonism, particularly through Plotinus, developed this into a divine One from which all reality emanates in a hierarchical order. This "Great Chain of Being" suggests a universe filled with diverse existences, arranged from the simplest to God, emphasizing unity and interconnectedness. Monistic idealism, a related philosophical system, emphasizes the primacy of the One over the many.234
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Western philosophyNeo-Pythagoreanism and Neoplatonism…of which is that of the One or the Good, which are identical but indescribable and indefinable in human language. The next lower level is that of nous, or pure intellect or reason; the third is that of the soul or souls. There then follows the world perceived by the…
Read More…of which is that of the One or the Good, which are identical but indescribable and indefinable in human language. The next lower level is that of nous, or pure intellect or reason; the third is that of the soul or souls. There then follows the world perceived by the…
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PlatonismGreek Platonism from Aristotle through Middle Platonism: its nature and history…was already occasionally called “the One”; the placing of the Platonic forms in the divine mind; a strongly otherworldly attitude demanding a “flight from the body,” an ascent of the mind to the divine and eternal; and a preoccupation with the problem of evil, attributed either to an evil…
Read More…was already occasionally called “the One”; the placing of the Platonic forms in the divine mind; a strongly otherworldly attitude demanding a “flight from the body,” an ascent of the mind to the divine and eternal; and a preoccupation with the problem of evil, attributed either to an evil…
Read More- PlatonismAugustinian Platonism
…the soul by Intellect and the One was the permanent cause of humans’ ability to know eternal reality; and Augustine was at this point very close to Plotinus, though for him there was a much sharper distinction between Creator and creature, and the personal relationship between God and the soul…
Read More…the soul by Intellect and the One was the permanent cause of humans’ ability to know eternal reality; and Augustine was at this point very close to Plotinus, though for him there was a much sharper distinction between Creator and creature, and the personal relationship between God and the soul…
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- Damascius
…by the customary name, “the One,” Damascius declared that men cannot adequately describe its relation to derived reality. This first principle is beyond the reach of human thought and language and is utterly outside the hierarchy of reality. Because it is outside, everything, and particularly the soul of man, can…
Read More…by the customary name, “the One,” Damascius declared that men cannot adequately describe its relation to derived reality. This first principle is beyond the reach of human thought and language and is utterly outside the hierarchy of reality. Because it is outside, everything, and particularly the soul of man, can…
Read More - Speusippus
…opposite principles, often called “the One” and “the indeterminate dyad,” terms meant to explain the presence of both unity and multiplicity in the universe. His colleagues, however, viewed “the One” and “the dyad” as principles of good and evil, respectively, but Speusippus denied the attachment of moral qualities. Using numerical…
Read More…opposite principles, often called “the One” and “the indeterminate dyad,” terms meant to explain the presence of both unity and multiplicity in the universe. His colleagues, however, viewed “the One” and “the dyad” as principles of good and evil, respectively, but Speusippus denied the attachment of moral qualities. Using numerical…
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