Page "Idealism" Paragraph 59

Pluralistic idealism such as that of Gottfried Leibniz takes the view that there are many individual minds that together underlie the existence of the observed world and make possible the existence of the physical universe.

Unlike absolute idealism, pluralistic idealism does not assume the existence of a single ultimate mental reality or " Absolute ".

Leibniz ' form of idealism, known as Panpsychism, views " monads " as the true atoms of the universe and as entities having perception.

The monads are " substantial forms of being ", elemental, individual, subject to their own laws, non-interacting, each reflecting the entire universe.

Monads are centers of force, which is substance while space, matter and motion are phenomenal and their form and existence is dependent on the simple and immaterial monads.

There is a pre-established harmony established by God, the central monad, between the world in the minds of the monads and the external world of objects.

Leibniz's cosmology embraced traditional Christian Theism.

The English psychologist and philosopher James Ward inspired by Leibniz had also defended a form of pluralistic idealism.

According to Ward the universe is composed of " psychic monads " of different levels, interacting for mutual self-betterment.