"Each idealized monist theory targets different "domination relations" as the "motor force of history." Not surprisingly, as they each find a different essential tension, their respective proponents criticize one another harshly.
The idealized marxist looks first to economic and class relations to explain not only economic, but also sexual, racial, political and all other types of domination.
This book radicalized my entire view of what it means to be on the left in society.
It's easy to fall into a singular view of the world, when you're on the left. It's not that people feel that nothing else is valid outside of their belief systems, but at times, it becomes difficult to ascertain whatever forms of leeway and tolerance exist, and no one "flavor" or ideology has a corner on becoming overly sectarian or dogmatic in their beliefs.
Tensions are running high over the imminent entry of InstaGrope into the verse, via Meta's Threads server. Some of you may have noticed me speaking up against the Anti-Fedi Meta Pact, and I want to clarify a few things I think are important.
I'm not arguing against admins moderating their servers' relationships with others. That's nobody's business but theirs. If an admin makes a case-by-case decision to defederate from Threads, well, that's fediverse moderation working as intended.
Monism and monotheism are not synonymous, though they can and often do overlap.
Monotheism, as most of us know, is the belief in One God. Monotheistic religions may feature other spiritual beings, either created by or separate from the One God, but there are no other Deities.
Monism, on the other hand, is the belief that there is no distinction between the Divine and everything else; all is One. There is no you or me, us or them: We're all part of the same system.
Now, I'm sure you can see how easily monotheism and monism can complement each other. But what about polytheism? Are monism and polytheism incompatible?
Nope! And here's why:
A common example to understand monism is to imagine your body. Take a look at or think about your hand. Now take a look at or think about your foot. Your hand is not your foot, and your foot is not your hand; both body parts serve very different functions and have different appearances. If you were to magically swap your hand with your foot, going about your day would suddenly be a lot more difficult.
Now, let's expand on this idea. Where does your hand end and "you" begin or where do "you" end and your hand begins? There isn't a distinction! Your hand is a part of you! You and your hand are made of the same cells and atoms. But are you your hand? No! You are the sum of all your parts: Your hands, feet, limbs, trunk, organs, blood, hair, brain, thoughts, personality, etc. All these parts combine to make "you." And even if you had to remove some of these parts, you're still "you."
In Monism, we (people, animals, plants, spirits, Gods, etc.) are like the different parts of One Body. The Gods are like the major organs and large body parts, like the head/brain, heart, and liver. Spirits are like the lesser organs and smaller body parts, like our fingers and toes. And we, humans, are like the little cells in the body.
We're all created from the same Source and Substance, and together we are Whole. The only distinction between us and the Divine are the forms and functions that we take on. And those forms and functions can change over time.
In the reconstruction of the Orphic Mysteries, I refer to the One Body as Phanes (and sometimes Zeus.) But within Phanes are countless other Gods: Zeus is the Head, the Intellect that guides the system, Aphrodite (or Eros) is the Heart and Reproductive Organs, the universal Love that permeates reality and drives creatures to continue creating, Hermes is the Throat and Vocal Chords, interpreting and communicating the Word, and so on. Also within Phanes is humanity and all of reality. My relationship to Phanes is congruent to one of my cell's relationship to my entire physical, mental, and spiritual being.
TL;DR:
Monotheism = One God
Polytheism = Multiple Gods
Monism = One Whole
Polytheistic Monism = One Substance, One "Body" Made of Many Gods and other beings who possess different forms and fulfill different functions.
I guess I'll do an #introduction, now that I'm here!
Howdy y'all, I'm Em.
These days I'm feeling too #queer for shul here in Germany, too religious for the queer "community".
I spend a lot of time thinking about how Whiteness and White supremacism manifest in our society and minds. I'm learning to #decolonize my self and always looking for friends who actively seek the same.
I'm a software developer by day, but that world is becoming less and less important to me.
My partner and I have a 70 year old steel sailboat that we're completely overhauling together, and someday we hope to set sail from #Hamburg towards wherever the wind takes us.
Until then, come on over. Let me make you a tea. How ya doin, but I mean it, really. Whatcha thinkin about these days?