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

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

Etymology

Origin of dualism

First recorded in 1785–95; dual + -ism

Example Sentences

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

Mollie is telling Ernest that she sees him as a good guy, even if the movie has already violently upended the familiar dualism of the white hat vs. black.

From New York Times • Jan. 4, 2024

Substance dualism — the idea that brain and mind are composed of two distinct “substances” — receives short shrift.

From Washington Post • Mar. 17, 2023

With the doctrine of forms, Plato may be said to combine the metaphysics of Parmenides with that of Heraclitus into a metaphysical dualism.

From Textbooks • Jun. 15, 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