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

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

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

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

And so we walk around with this feeling of mild alienation, this basic incoherence — a dualism that runs all the way down to the roots of Western culture.

From New York Times • May 11, 2022

Alena, did Hailee’s previous roles give you confidence that she’d nail the tricky dualism of “Dickinson”?

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 5, 2021

In fact the whole tendency to dualism that pervades human thinking may be found to be lessened, or changed, on Winter.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin