dualist

/'dju:əlist/

Thân thiện

A philosopher explains dualist beliefs to a student.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • An adherent of dualism: A person who believes in or supports the philosophical or religious doctrine of dualism. Dualism is the concept that the universe or a particular domain of experience is fundamentally composed of or explained by two distinct, often opposing, principles, such as mind and matter, good and evil, or spirit and body.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • As a dualist, she believes the mind is fundamentally separate from the physical brain.
  • The ancient philosopher was a noted dualist in his teachings on cosmic principles.

Advanced Usage

• In philosophical discourse: The term is often used in academic contexts to categorize thinkers or systems of thought.
  • Descartes is frequently described as a substance dualist.
• In religious studies: It can describe adherents of faiths that posit two supreme opposing forces.
  • Some Gnostic sects were considered dualists for their belief in a conflict between spirit and matter.

Variants and Related Words

• Dualism (n): The theory or system of thought that forms the basis of a dualist's belief.
  • The debate between monism and dualism is central to metaphysics.
• Dualistic (adj): Characteristic of or relating to dualism.
  • His worldview is highly dualistic, dividing everything into categories of pure and impure.

Synonyms

• Manichaean (n, adj): (Historical/formal) A follower of Manichaeism, a major dualistic religion; more broadly, someone who sees the world in terms of a stark conflict between good and evil.
• Dichotomist (n): (Formal) A person who tends to explain things in terms of dichotomies or two-part divisions.

Related Phrases

• Cartesian dualist: A specific type of dualist who subscribes to René Descartes' mind-body dualism.
  • A Cartesian dualist would argue that consciousness is non-physical.

Related Idioms

• To see the world in black and white: This idiom describes a dualistic way of thinking, though it often carries a connotation of oversimplification, which is not always inherent in formal philosophical dualism.
  • He's such a dualist in his morals; he tends to see the world in black and white.

Học thuật

Noun

1. an adherent of dualism