The idea that something is made of two basic and often opposing parts, such as mind and body, good and evil, or physical and spiritual reality. In philosophy, it especially refers to the belief that the mind and body are separate kinds of things.
From 'dual' (meaning 'two') + '-ism', a suffix forming nouns for systems of belief. 'Dual' comes from Latin 'dualis', from 'duo' meaning 'two'. The term became widely used in philosophy in the 17th century.
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