Monad (philosophy)

The term monad (from Ancient Greek μονάς (monas) 'unity' and μόνος (monos) 'alone')[1] is used in some cosmic philosophy and cosmogony to refer to a most basic or original substance.

According to some philosophers of the early modern period, most notably Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, there are infinite monads, which are the basic and immense forces elementary particles, or simplest units, that make up the universe.

In his Latin treaty Maximae theologiae, Alan of Lille affirms "God is an intelligible sphere, whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere."

The idea of the monad is also reflected in the demiurge, or the belief of one supreme being that brought about the creation of the universe.

[6] According to Diogenes Laërtius, from the monad evolved the dyad; from it numbers; from numbers, points; then lines, two-dimensional entities, three-dimensional entities, bodies, culminating in the four elements earth, water, fire and air, from which the rest of our world is built up.