2.7 Non-duality in the Age of Enlightenment
80. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, a prominent figure in philosophy, contributed to the development of non-duality in the West. He proposed that reality consists of indivisible mental elements called “monads.” These monads perceive the universe from unique perspectives that are inherently harmonious. In essence, harmony underlies diversity, serving as the condition for every phenomenon’s existence. Leibniz attributed the orchestration of these monads to the Divine.
- Non-duality & Reason
- Time: 18th century
- Era: The Age of Enlightenment / The Age of Reason
- Geography: Germany
- Key thinker: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
- Movement: Non-duality as Monadology
- Key event: American War of Independence (1761 – 1791) & French Revolution (1789 – 1799)
81. Leibniz discovered something new on monism. He elucidated the relationship between cause and effect, their interconnectedness, and the overarching importance of causation. Leibniz states that “the monads have no windows through which something can enter or depart. Nothing can influence them from the outside. There is no way they can come into interaction with each other, except through God.”
This ends subchapter 2.7 on Non-duality in the Age of Enlightenment. After the Enlightenment epoch, western societies expanded thanks to industrial innovation. Let’s examine how Non-duality survived the Industrial Revolution. The reader is asked to remain attentive to what follows.