Neutral Monism
Neutral Monism holds that the fundamental substance of reality is neither mental nor physical but a third, neutral kind. Mind and matter are co-equal aspects or arrangements of this underlying neutral stuff, which is more basic than either the mental or the physical considered in isolation.
I. Time
| Extent | Infinite |
| Ontological Status | Emergent |
| Grain | Continuous |
| Freedom | Non-Deterministic |
| Traversability | Linear |
| Dimensionality | One |
| Direction | Uni-directional |
Time is relational and infinite — it is constituted by the temporal ordering of neutral elements rather than existing as an independent container. Russell and James held that "experience" is neither mental nor physical but neutral stuff organized temporally. Time is continuous, linear, and uni-directional as an emergent feature of how neutral elements are arranged.
II. Space
| Extent | Infinite |
| Ontological Status | Emergent |
| Curvature | Undefined |
| Dimensionality | Three |
| Locality | Non-local |
Space is relational and infinite — it is constituted by the spatial ordering of neutral elements. Space is flat, local, and three-dimensional as a feature of the arrangement of neutral stuff. Neither physical space nor mental space is fundamental; both emerge from the same underlying neutral reality organized differently.
III. Matter
| Extent | Finite |
| Ontological Status | Emergent |
| Conservation | Conserved |
| Dimensionality | Three |
| Locality | Non-local |
Matter is relational and finite — it is one way of organizing neutral elements, not a fundamental substance. What we call "matter" is neutral stuff arranged in physical patterns; what we call "mind" is the same stuff arranged in experiential patterns. Matter is conserved and local within the physical organization, but its ultimate nature is neither material nor mental.
IV. Observer
| Time Instance | Single |
| Space Instance | Single |
| Extent of Knowledge | Immediate |
| Retainment of Knowledge | Total |
| Physicality | Both |
| Agency | Both |
| Number | Plural |
V. Energy
Infinite and emergent — energy is not a fundamental substance but an emergent pattern of organization within the neutral substrate; it arises when neutral elements are arranged in certain dynamical configurations. Conservation: Conserved — the total neutral substrate is conserved across all transformations; energy conservation is a feature of how neutral elements redistribute but never increase or decrease in total. Dispersibility: Irreversible — the asymmetry of temporal experience reflects an irreversible pattern in how neutral elements arrange and rearrange; configurations move toward greater dispersal without spontaneous reversal.
VI. Information
The neutral substrate may be informational — neither purely mental nor purely physical but something that gives rise to both. Information is a strong candidate for the neutral ground. Information is substantival because it is the fundamental stuff. It is conserved because the neutral substrate is not created or destroyed. It is continuous because the neutral substrate is not inherently quantized.