Monism is the philosophical view that there is only one fundamental substance or principle underlying all of reality. Pantheism, on the other hand, is the belief that the divine is identical to the universe or that everything is God. While monism and pantheism can overlap, they are not inevitably the same.
For instance, some forms of monism, like materialistic monism, posit that everything is made of physical matter, but this doesn’t necessarily entail that everything is divine, as pantheism would suggest. Similarly, idealist monism might argue that everything is a manifestation of the mind or consciousness, but again, without necessarily equating the totality of reality with the divine.
However, some forms of monism, particularly in certain philosophical or mystical traditions, do lead to pantheistic interpretations. Spinoza’s philosophy is an example of this. He proposed a form of monism where God and nature (or the universe) are one and the same, which is considered pantheism.
In conclusion, monism is not inevitably pantheism, but certain forms of monism can develop into pantheistic views, depending on how the nature of the "one substance" is interpreted.
