Ultimate reality
Ultimate reality is "the supreme, final, and fundamental power in all reality".[1] This may overlap with the concept of the Absolute in certain philosophies.
Greek philosophy[edit]
Anaximander believed that the ultimate substance of the universe, generally known as arche, was apeiron, an infinite and eternal substance that is the origin of all things. Aristotle held that the unmoved mover "must be an immortal, unchanging being, ultimately responsible for all wholeness and orderliness in the sensible world"[2] and that its existence is necessary to support everyday change. In Neoplatonism, the first principle of reality is "the One" which is a perfectly simple and ineffable principle which is the source of the universe, and exists without multiplicity and beyond being and non-being. Stoic physics called the primitive substance of the universe pneuma or God, which is everything that exists and is a creative force that develops and shapes the cosmos.[3]
Taoism[edit]
In Taoism, the Tao is the impersonal principle that underlies reality. It is a metaphysical principle and process that refers to how nature develops, being an enigmatic process of transformation. It is described as the source of existence, an ineffable mystery, and something that can be individually harnessed for the good.[15] It is thought of as being "the flow of the universe" and the source of its order and its qi, but it is not considered a deity to be worshipped, even if some interpretations believed it had the power to bless or illuminate.