Dualism Definition

He Dualism is a philosophical doctrine that explains the origin and nature of the universe based on the belief in the action of two diverse and opposing essences or principlesFor example, the struggle between good and evil is a very clear example of duality.

Good is associated with a positive idea while evil has a negative connotation in our society. For the case is that people tend to approach those people who know they do good and escape, move away, from those who are supposed to do bad.

Good versus evil, the most popular duality

Now, although there may be an influence of subjectivity in the determination of good and evil, we can say that there is a social convention in this regard, and by the way, people tend to deal with it to get away from or get closer to evil / good. .

Good is closely linked to what is good and desirable, while evil is linked to what is unpleasant, to pain, to suffering. In good everything is usually happiness and there are no problems as if it happens with evil.

Both are defined by opposition and in effect allude to two completely different essences. Other dualities raised very frequently are: matter-spirit and realism-idealism.

In a much broader sense, those doctrines that affirm two orders of being diametrically opposed are also called dualism.

Vision of Chinese philosophy

In the chinese philosophy dualism is materialized in the yin and yang; From these conceptions, the duality of what exists in the universe is indicated. This idea applies to any existing situation or object as it is explained in the popular premise that promotes this doctrine: “that in everything good there is something bad and vice versa, in everything bad there is something good.”

Dualism has had a constant presence in the history of humanity. theological dualism, for example, is based on the belief in the existence of a divine principle of good, associated with light, and on the opposite side, is the principle of evil, linked to darkness, to the devil; God is pointed out as responsible for the creation of good, while the devil does the same with evil. So many of us have grown up with the somewhat basic religious teaching that the devil is bad, he does bad things and therefore you have to get away from him, and that God is his opposite, it is what brings us closer to all the good we can be. In this sense, dualism frees man from the responsibility of evil in the world.

The position of the Catholic Church

Meanwhile, the Catholic Church, has opposed this doctrine since it recognizes and defends an omnipotent and infinite God without there being an evil in the world that limits its potential. Everything that exists was created by God and therefore nothing created by him can be bad.

And philosophy has also been a context in which dualisms proliferated: in Pythagoras in the opposition between limit and unlimited, in Empedocles, with friendship and hatred, which Aristotle would later reinterpret as good and evil, Anaxagoras with primitive chaos versus intelligence, in Plato with the proposal of two worlds: the intelligible or ideal and the sensible or matter; the first is closely linked to the soul of the individual, while the other with his senses. For his part, Kant, with the rivalry between pure reason and practical reasonamong others.

Diverse characters in one person

Also, the word dualism is used to refer to the existence of two different characters in the same person or thing, for example the dualism in the personality of a person.

A situation of this type can certainly be complex and confusing for those people who live with the individual who has this tendency, because of course, this duality will lead him to show himself in one way before a situation and then in a totally opposite way, which for Of course it will end up confusing people.

Thus, in a dual person we will be able to appreciate the realization of good and on the other hand the practice of an extreme evil that cannot be believed, because that person was seen doing something good and from one moment to the next doing something certainly bad and condemnable. For example, helping a person on the street with food and money and then beating him violently because he came to ask for alms.

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