dualism

American  

[doo-uh-liz-uhm, dyoo-] / ˈdu əˌlɪz əm, ˈdyu- /

noun

1. the state of being dual or consisting of two parts; division into two.

2. Philosophy.

   1. the view that there are just two mutually irreducible substances.

   2. the view that substances are either material or mental.

3. Theology.

   1. the doctrine that there are two independent divine beings or eternal principles, one good and the other evil.

   2. the belief that a human being embodies two parts, as body and soul.

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dualism British  

/ ˈdjuːəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. the state of being twofold or double

2. philosophy the doctrine, as opposed to idealism and materialism, that reality consists of two basic types of substance usually taken to be mind and matter or two basic types of entity, mental and physical Compare monism

3. 1. the theory that the universe has been ruled from its origins by two conflicting powers, one good and one evil, both existing as equally ultimate first causes

   2. the theory that there are two personalities, one human and one divine, in Christ

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dualism Cultural  

1. In philosophy and theology, any system that explains phenomena by two opposing principles. Many philosophers hold to a dualism of mind and matter, or mind and body. For many theologians, the two principles are those of good and evil.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nondualism
  noun
• dualist
  noun
• dualistic
  adjective
• dualistically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of dualism

First recorded in 1785–95; dual + -ism

Explanation

If you see the world as split into two distinct parts, you're a proponent of dualism. The philosophy that your mind and body are two completely separate, independent aspects of you is one particular type of dualism. There are many theories that go by the name of dualism, but the idea that minds and bodies are separate is probably the most common. Another type of dualism splits the world into a person and the world outside that person, with a barrier between the two. In fact, any time you divide things into two categories — hot and cold, good and evil, male and female — that's also a kind of dualism. The Latin root is duo, "two."

Example Sentences

As president, Carter tried to nudge American foreign policy away from its reflexive Cold War dualism toward an emphasis on human rights.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 29, 2024

Once we get beyond the dualism that The Captain is mired in, we can start experiencing real empathy and real humanity.

From Salon • May 27, 2024

A mystical indigenous religion that venerated nature, Daoism borrowed from various ideological systems, such as the dualism of yin-yang with its emphasis on the complementary poles of light and dark cosmological forces.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

Mr. Dugin gave a lecture on the “metaphysical dualism of historical thinking,” according to the festival’s website.

From New York Times • Aug. 21, 2022

This wave-particle dualism may not correspond readily to our common-sense notions, but it is in excellent accord with what experiments have shown light really does.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan