[mon-iz-uh
m, moh-niz-uhm] 
| 1. | Philosophy.
|
| 2. | the reduction of all processes, structures, concepts, etc., to a single governing principle; the theoretical explanation of everything in terms of one principle. |
| 3. | 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. |
A position in metaphysics that sees only one kind of principle whereas dualism sees two. On the question of whether people's minds are distinct from their bodies, for example, a monist would hold either that mental conditions are essentially physical conditions (materialism), or that bodies depend on minds for their existence (idealism).