The Promise of Dualism: An Introduction to Dualist Theory - Paperback

by Alistair J. Sinclair (Author)

"The future is dualist" is the message of this book. It argues that the future progress of humanity depends on the dualist viewpoint being adopted that takes account of both sides of an argument and corrects imbalances created by the application of extreme points of view. Dualist theory concerns dualist or one-to-one interactions and how these can explain many phenomena in nature and in our society that are inadequately accounted for by the sciences. The theory is applicable to every aspect of our existence and is all-embracing in the sense of giving us an additional way of looking at everything around us. It is a new and different way of viewing the phenomena already explicated by the sciences in their various ways. Dualist theory concerns the way that dualist interactions can be used to explain change, complexity and innovation in the universe, including how these interactions give us an insight into ourselves and our society. A dualist interaction is a one-to-one relationship between existents which is harmonious over a period of time and which leads to differences being created. These differences are caused by the respective interactions. Perhaps the most obvious example is a male-female relationship in which offspring are produced. Dualist theory also addresses many of the flaws in human thinking that are currently causing problems throughout the world. It promises a better future if these flaws are overcome in the manner suggested in this book. The point is to show how reason can solve our problems. Our reasoning powers are not to be disparaged just because past ways of thinking are now failing us. We have the brains to solve our most pressing problems in the long term. It is a matter of improving our ways of thinking and this has always been the aim of philosophy, though it has lately been remiss in that regard. We must not allow past and present failures to make us despair of our future and resort to religion as the only way forward. The later Roman Empire took that path and it crippled civilisation by terminating intellectual progress. It took centuries to repair the damage caused, and even yet we are ignorant of much of the history, literature and achievements of the Roman Empire because so much was lost through religious bigotry. As things stand, an extreme religious mentality could easily prevail and make it a crime to be doubtful and uncertain of orthodox beliefs.