Pluralism in general denotes a diversity of views or stands, rather than a single approach or method. Pluralism or pluralist may refer more specifically to:

Politics and law

Pluralism (political philosophy) Pluralism as a political philosophy is the recognition and affirmation of diversity within a political body, which is seen to permit the peaceful coexistence of different interests, convictions, and lifestyles. While not all political pluralists ...

, the acknowledgement of a diversity of political systems *

Pluralism (political theory) Classical pluralism is the view that politics and decision-making are located mostly in the framework of government, but that many non-governmental groups use their resources to exert influence. The central question for classical pluralism is ho ...

, belief that there should be diverse and competing centres of power in society *

Legal pluralism Legal pluralism is the existence of multiple legal systems within one society and/or geographical area. Plural legal systems are particularly prevalent in former colonies, where the law of a former colonial authority may exist alongside more tradi ...

, the existence of differing legal systems in a population or area *

Pluralist democracy A pluralist democracy describes a political system where there is more than one center of power. Modern Democracy, democracies are by definition Pluralism (political theory), pluralist as democracies allow freedom of association. However, plurali ...

, a political system with more than one center of power

Philosophy

Pluralism (philosophy) Pluralism is a term used in philosophy, meaning "doctrine of multiplicity," often used in opposition to monism ("doctrine of unity") and dualism ("doctrine of duality"). The term has different meanings in metaphysics, ontology, epistemology and log ...

, a doctrine according to which many basic substances make up reality * Pluralist school, a Greek school of pre-Socratic philosophers *

Epistemological pluralism __notoc__ Epistemological pluralism is a term used in philosophy, economics, and virtually any field of study to refer to different ways of knowing things, different epistemological methodologies for attaining a fuller description of a particular ...

or methodological pluralism, the view that some phenomena require multiple methods to account for their nature *

Value pluralism In ethics, value pluralism (also known as ethical pluralism or moral pluralism) is the idea that there are several values which may be equally correct and fundamental, and yet in conflict with each other. In addition, value-pluralism postulates th ...

, the idea that several values may be equally correct and yet in conflict with each other

Religion

Religious pluralism Religious pluralism is an attitude or policy regarding the diversity of religious belief systems co-existing in society. It can indicate one or more of the following: * Recognizing and tolerating the religious diversity of a society or countr ...

, the acceptance of all religious paths as equally valid, promoting coexistence * Holding multiple ecclesiastical offices; see "Pluralism" at

Benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

* Pluralism Project, a Harvard-affiliated project on religious diversity in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Other uses

Cosmic pluralism Cosmic pluralism, the plurality of worlds, or simply pluralism, describes the belief in numerous "worlds" (planets, dwarf planets or natural satellites) in addition to Earth (possibly an infinite number), which may harbour extraterrestrial life ...

, the belief in numerous other worlds beyond the Earth, which may possess the conditions suitable for life *

Cultural pluralism Cultural pluralism is a term used when smaller groups within a larger society maintain their unique cultural identities, whereby their values and practices are accepted by the dominant culture, provided such are consistent with the laws and value ...

, when small groups within a larger society maintain their unique cultural identities *

Media pluralism Media pluralism defines the state of having a plurality of voices, opinions, and analyses in media systems (internal pluralism) or the coexistence of different and diverse types of medias and media support (external pluralism). Media pluralism i ...

, the representation of different cultural groups and political opinions in the media * Pluralist commonwealth, a systemic model of wealth democratization *

Pluralism in economics The pluralism in economics movement is a campaign to change the teaching and research in economics towards more openness in its approaches, topics and standpoints it considers. The goal of the movement is to "reinvigorate the discipline ... nd b ...

, a campaign to enrich the academic discipline of economics

Politics and law

Philosophy

Religion

Other uses

See also