Thursday, September 29, 2011

Dual, Duality & Dualism. Definitions

Definitions as complied from various dictionaries including Webster’s Encyclopaedic Unabridged Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary, Dictionary of Philosophy, and Dictionary of Ideas:

Dual
(Adjective)
- having two similar or related elements, two parts, functions, aspects, items (e.g. dual spirits, citizenship, ownership, controls);
- having two distinct aspects;
- made up of two distinct, often opposite parts (serve a dual purpose);
- together;
- having a two-fold or double character or nature.

Duality
(Noun)
- a dual state or quality; consisting of two parts;
- a situation or nature that has two states or parts that are complementary or opposed to each other.

Dualism
(Noun)
- a view, doctrine or theory relating to the state of being dual;
- a view that existence and the different components of existence are essentially dual in nature i.e. made up of two parts;
- a view that reality or existence is essentially dual in nature;
- a doctrine or theory relating to two opposing or complementary concepts, principles or nature;
- the view that there are two mutually irreducible substances in a phenomenon or an element of existence -  substances that cannot be manifest without the other;
- a theory in which a fundamental two-fold distinction is drawn;
- the belief that there are two co-eternal spiritual entities (God and the devil) or principles;
- the concept that people are inherently dual in nature, consisting of the spiritual and physical, or as according to Descartes: the mind and matter, according to Plato: intelligible and sensible; according to Fitch: ego and non-ego. [Zoroastrianism appears to see two primary constituents in nature: spiritual (mainyeush/menog) and material (gaetha/getig), and three primary constituents in a person: the spirit (mainyu), soul (urvan) and body (tan, tanu).]

Duality & Dualism pages of this blog:
» Bon, Zoroastrianism & Dualism
» Dual, Duality & Dualism. Definitions (New)
» The Two - Ta Mainyu (New)
» Yin-Yang Dualism. Development of the Concept (New)
» Yin-Yang in Daoism / Taoism. The Daodejing by Laozi. Zhuangzi (New)
» Plutarch. His Work, Duality and the Soul (New)

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