Concept
Unity (concept)
Overview
Unity is the state of being one. It is often a combination of many parts, elements and individuals into an effective whole. It is defined as the state of being undivided or unbroken completeness or totality with nothing wanting. It is the smallest whole numeral representation. It is applicable to people and objects forming whole notions of any concept. It implies oneness when there is a certain usual division.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).
In the original texts
Passages from public-domain books where Unity (concept) is discussed.
Thus Unity is not all things, for if so, it would no longer be unity. Nor is it Intelligence, for since intelligence is all things, unity too would be all things. Nor is it essence, since essence also is all things.
Plotinus, Plotinos
names the idea; a chapter is titled for it; states what it is; opens on it
If we consider a material whole, according to its form, as a product of the parts with their powers and faculties of combining with one another (as well as of bringing in foreign materials), we represent to ourselves a mechanical mode of producing it. But in this way no concept emerges of a whole as purpose, whose internal possibility presupposes throughout the Idea of a whole on which depend the constitution and…
Immanuel Kant, Kant's Critique of Judgement
names the idea
_I answer that,_ As unity of term is requisite for unity of movement, so is unity of object required for unity of operation. Now it happens that several things may be taken as several or as one; like the parts of a continuous whole. For if each of the parts be considered severally they are many: consequently neither by sense nor by intellect are they grasped by one operation, nor all at once.
Aquinas Thomas, Summa Theologica, Part I
names the idea; states what it is; opens on it
The same function which gives unity to the different representation in a judgement, gives also unity to the mere synthesis of different representations in an intuition; and this unity we call the pure conception of the understanding. Thus, the same understanding, and by the same operations, whereby in conceptions, by means of analytical unity, it produced the logical form of a judgement, introduces, by means of the…
Immanuel Kant, The Critique of Pure Reason
names the idea; states what it is; opens on it
Unity is the common desiderate of philosophic systems of all metaphysical types--neutral, materialistic, idealistic. But the dominant tradition has tended to think this unity in terms of _interest_, of _spirit_, of _mentality_.
John Dewey, Creative Intelligence
states what it is; names the idea; opens on it
Related ideas
- Sociology
- Understanding
- Psychology
- Perception
- Religion
- Soul
- The Buddha
- Attitude (psychology)
- Quran
- Krishna
- Zoroaster
- Deity
- God
- Anthropology
- Confucius
- Islam
- Human
- Psychologist
Place in the tradition
Part of Outline of metaphysics.