In metaphysical view, the phenomena of reality (including life) must have multiple explanation. For example, the body is physical matter, the soul or spirit is non-material, the spirit body is composed of matter not yet fully analyzed.

the doctrine that the world is not a unit in law and structure, but the scene of contrary forces and processes.

the doctrine that reality consists of several basic substances or elements

The idea that reality is not reducible to one or two ultimate substances or principles; contrary to dualism and monism.

A theory or philosophy that contends that there is more than one kind of ultimate reality.

the doctrine that the world is composed of many things, the source of contrary processes. Cf. monism.

The doctrine which holds that reality cannot be reduced to either one ultimate form of being (monism of either mind or matter) or two ultimate forms of being (dualism of mind and matter), but to many mutually irreducible ultimate forms of being.

Pluralism in the area of philosophy of the mind, distinguishes a position where one believes there to be ultimately many kinds of substances in the world, as opposed to monism and dualism. (See also cosmotheism).