Which philosopher was born in 1646 and contributed a single-substance view of the universe?

The philosopher who was born in 1646 and is associated with a single-substance view of the universe is Baruch Spinoza. Spinoza's philosophy is characterized by his belief in a single, all-encompassing substance he called "God or Nature," rejecting the dualistic separation of mind and body that was prevalent in the ideas of his contemporaries. He proposed that everything in existence is a manifestation of this one substance, which fundamentally altered the way we understand the relationship between the mind, body, and the universe as interconnected rather than separate entities. This view laid important groundwork for later developments in metaphysical and philosophical thought.

In contrast to Spinoza, Descartes is known for his dualism, asserting a clear distinction between mind and body. Nicolas de Malebranche, while influenced by Spinoza, also espoused a version of occasionalism instead of a single-substance view. Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz, born in 1646, is known for his concept of monads, which are individual, simple substances, rather than a unified substance of the universe as proposed by Spinoza. Therefore, Spinoza's contribution to the notion of a single-substance universe is what makes this answer