Unicity
The amalgamation of Winnipeg, Manitoba (also known as Unicity) was the municipal incorporation of the old City of Winnipeg, eleven surrounding municipalities, and the Metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg (Metro) into one.
The amalgamated city’s boundaries were established by the 1971 City of Winnipeg Act, combining the former Winnipeg and Metro with the rural municipalities of Charleswood, Fort Garry, North Kildonan, and Old Kildonan; the Town of Tuxedo; and the cities of East Kildonan, West Kildonan, St. Vital, Transcona, St. Boniface, and St. James-Assiniboia. The city-metropolitan government officially replaced the existing municipal governments on 1 January 1972.
Though officially joined in 1972, these areas and their respective civic services (e.g. police departments) were not completely merged until years later.
Unicity in philosophy refers to the state of being unique and singular, but it has several distinct applications. It can mean that each individual thing is unique (unicity of the individual), or that a single entity, like God, is uniquely one (unicity of God). It can also describe metaphysical concepts, such as the single substantial form of a living being (unicity of substantial form), or the idea that all humans share a single intellect (unicity of the intellect).
Key concepts of unicity in philosophy
Unicity of God: This concept, found in various religions and metaphysics, asserts that God is absolutely one and unique, unlike anything else in existence. It is often contrasted with the idea of a god who has multiple aspects or is part of a pantheon.
Unicity of the individual: This is the principle that every individual being is uniquely itself, having a quality called haecceity or “thisness” that makes it distinct from all others, even those that are otherwise identical.
Unicity of the intellect: Proposed by the medieval philosopher Averroes, this theory posits that all humans share a single, common intellect. This was proposed as a way to explain how universal knowledge could be possible.
Unicity of the substantial form: In Aristotelian philosophy, this is the principle that a composite substance has only one substantial form that unites its matter into a single living body. For example, a living body has one soul, which is the substantial form of that body.
Unicity in epistemology: This is a principle in the philosophy of knowledge that claims there is only one rational belief that one should hold given a specific set of evidence.
Unicity of time: Some medieval natural philosophers debated whether time could be considered a unicity, or single entity, even when applied to multiple, simultaneous motions.