Dualism In Ancient Egypt
Bailey Daggert
John Webb
Intro to Humanities
Dualism Paper
Dualism “Dualism is the concept that our mind is more than just our brain. This concept entails that our mind has a non-material, spiritual dimension that includes consciousness and possibly an eternal attribute.” (Allabout philosophy.org) Plato was a dualist. He believed and offered that the first, oldest argument was that one’s physical body and soul are separate entities or substances that interact and that one lives on after the other has died. The idea that the mind is a separate entity and that it is completely independent of any physical body is the central point of dualism. Dualism states that the real essence or soul of a person has nothing to do with the physical aspects of the body, but rather from the nonphysical entity of the mind. Dualism …show more content…
is the theory that mind and matter are two distinct things. Humans have both physical properties and mental properties. People have the sort of properties ascribed in the physical sciences. These physical properties include color, weight, shape, size, motion through space and time, etc. But they also have mental properties. However, we do not ascribe these mental properties to typical physical objects. These properties involve consciousness, intentionality, and that they are possessed by the subject or a self. The main argument for dualism is that facts about the objective “outside” world of particles and fields of force, the study of physics, are not facts about how things appear from a subjective point of view, whereas facts from a subjective point of view are precisely individual thoughts and subjects. There are two types or kinds of dualism; substance dualism and property dualism. Substance dualism holds that the mind or soul is a separate, nonphysical entity and leaves room for the possibility that the soul might be able to exist outside of the body, either before birth or after death. Property dualism, however, disagrees with this theory. Property dualism says there is no soul distinct from the body, but only one thing, a person, has two irreducibly different types of properties, mental and physical. Substance dualism is something with “independent existence” meaning it can exist on its own. Substance dualists believe that only spiritual substances can have mental properties, and it is a “soul” along with memories that constitute the survival of each person. Plato believed that the soul and the body are two separate entities or substances that interact and that the real identity of the person lies with the soul. The body and the mind are often conflicting. The body is interested in eating and sleeping, which are sense pleasures, and they often get in the way of intellectual necessities. Often the demands of the body takeover completely. Plato saw the body as an annoyance and a quandary. “He says it is not a real person. We may say I have a body, but not I am a body. Plato believed that the real person is separate and distinct from the body it inhabits, and the soul has existed prior to being in the present body and, in death, will leave the body.” (thestudentroom.co.uk) He says the soul is on a higher level of reality than the body. The body is concerned with the senses and the soul with reason. The soul is not always perfect, however, and the body debases it and drags it down. We humans have the task of taking care of the soul, but we are easily corrupted and led astray. Plato has four arguments for the existence of a soul. One being the linguistic argument which is the fact that we use a language about ourselves suggesting a distinction. For example, using I, we, me, etc. seeming to refer to an inner and separate reality. The second argument is the knowledge argument which is defined by somehow within the world of change and constant motion, “we can grasp certain universals which are not affected by time and space so there must be something within us that is equally unaffected by change and constant motion that has the ability to grasp them.” (thestudentroom.co.uk) The argument from recollection is the third argument for the existence of a soul and says because we know the universals we must have seen them before. So since we know, comprehend or remember something, we must have seen or heard it before. The fourth and final argument is the cycle of opposites. We know things by their opposites. Life must come from death, and death must come from life which suggests a perpetual cycle of human souls coming and going from death and then to life over and again. According to St. Augustine, dualism is the combination of the “lower-self” or impure body and flesh, and the “higher-self” is the purified soul. St. Augustine's theological system saw the world as being two distinct parts: the world of the spirit and the world of matter. “St. Augustine used the Platonic tradition as his philosophical framework to harmonize and shape the Christian philosophical anthropology that is compatible with the teachings of the Christian Scriptures.” (cafn.us) St. Augustine used many of the neo-Platonic ideas while developing his view of the Christian world and life in general; views such as, an individual human person is the quintessence of the body and soul combination. The soul separate from the body and vice-versa cannot be recognized as a whole entity. A man has to have both the mortal material body and the immortal soul together as one. He had evidently been a Platonist before his conversion to Christianity. St. Augustine’s view on the soul sought to reprise the Platonic and neo-Platonic understanding and view of the immortality of the soul. For St. Augustine, the souls are created, but immaterial substances concurrently convey the image of God.
Ancient Egypt has experienced dualism since the beginning between culture and political aspects.
The symbolism of life, death and rebirth was performed each day, in the Rite of The House of Morning. Priests and courtiers would be present, and the king was bathed in water from the local temple lake to symbolize his rebirth. This duality also existed within the political structure of ancient Egypt. “It was divided into two separate areas; The North, Lower Egypt – The Delta Area, which comes from the Greek, faces the Mediterranean, and is fed by two main branches of the Nile; and The South, Upper Egypt, is hemmed in by the desert. Before the unification of Egypt, there also existed two kingdoms, the Red Land (the Delta) and the White Land (The South). These were political entities, not to be confused with the Red Land – The Desert and the Black Land. The Northern Kingdom is Lower Egypt, and the Southern Kingdom is Upper Egypt.” (thewhitegoddess.co.uk) The most unambiguous concept regarding Egyptian dualism is the “Life-force” known a “Ka.” The dualism theme is also apparent in the ancient Egyptian religions’ legendary battle between Osiris and Set or
Seth.
Hinduism believes in a reality called the Brahman which is the source of all living things in the universe. The Brahman is the concept of all reality and existence. It is the ultimate goal of everything that exists. Brahman is in all things, and it is the atman (true Self) of all beings. The individual soul and Brahman are absolutely non-different. Atman is pure consciousness, and the highest reality, Brahman, also is pure consciousness. So, to my understanding, the Atman and the Brahman are one in the same, however, not at the same time. The soul in Hinduism, is the Atman.
The founder of Persian dualism was Zarathustra, or, as the Greeks called him, "Zoroaster". Zoroaster designed a religious system with a moral vital importance that assumed a body/soul dualism. It is in Zoroastrianism that the nature of dualism changes and assumes its more permanent characteristics. “The common meaning of a dualistic conflict became good versus evil, right and/or wrong, and so on; the sources of good and evil were separate, both no longer came from a single source as in the Aegean era. The Aegean gods, such as Zeus, were both good and bad; they shared both qualities as their worshippers considered them deities with human traits. Within the Zoroastrian theory, this changed. Good and evil came from separate sources, not one; dualism no longer was a combat between a more powerful versus a weaker god; and it now involved the struggle between the good, or perfect, deity against the evil one.” (themystica.com)
To conclude, dualism is a vastly expansive topic that is difficult to surmise and comprehend. There are many variations and definitions about what dualism actually is. The concept of a spirit or soul that is contained within the body is an ancient even pre-historic idea. This concept has stimulated endless amounts of theoretical discourse and influenced both philosophy and religion throughout most of civilization. Plato’s theory of knowledge helps us understand this. He says, “there are two levels of knowledge: one is sense-perception and constantly changes, the other is available to the intellect and remains constant.” The idea that the mind is a separate entity and that it is completely independent of any physical body is an extraordinary concept to digest. Dualism, however, does not fit well with today’s knowledge and understand of physics and science. It is highly dubious based on several reasons some of which include the law of conservation of energy, and how we have come to understand how the mind and body interact with each other. Today, we have come to understand that the body is fully capable of thoughts. However, we seem to doubt that thoughts would still emerge if we were to take away the body which includes the brain. My question is, if the mind is truly a non-physical entity, and the brain simply a conduit, how do we have the ability, through purely physical means, evoke feelings of pleasure and pain, touch, smell, and even recall memories quite vividly? In some way, shape, or form, dualism must exist on some level, although I have only begun to comprehend what Plato, St. Augustine and other philosophers such as Descartes, were trying to teach us.
Works cited
"Augustine’s Philosophical Anthropology: Immortality of ..."CAFNEPAL. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Nov. 2014 <http://cafn.us/2011/01/26/augustine%E2%80%99s-philosophical-anthropology-immortality-of-human-soul-in-a-composite-soul-body/>
"Dualism - AllAboutPhilosophy.org." All About Philosophy. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Nov. 2014 <http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/dualism.htm>.
"Dualism - the MYSTICA." Dualism. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2014 <http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/d/dualism.html>.
"Duality of Ancient Egypt - Ancient Egypt - The White Goddess." The White Goddess. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2014 <http://www.thewhitegoddess.co.uk/articles/ancient_egypt/duality_of_ancient_egypt.asp>.
"Revision: Body and soul - The Student Room." The Student Room. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Nov. 2014 <http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/revision:body_and_soul>.
John Webb
Intro to Humanities
Dualism Paper
Dualism “Dualism is the concept that our mind is more than just our brain. This concept entails that our mind has a non-material, spiritual dimension that includes consciousness and possibly an eternal attribute.” (Allabout philosophy.org) Plato was a dualist. He believed and offered that the first, oldest argument was that one’s physical body and soul are separate entities or substances that interact and that one lives on after the other has died. The idea that the mind is a separate entity and that it is completely independent of any physical body is the central point of dualism. Dualism states that the real essence or soul of a person has nothing to do with the physical aspects of the body, but rather from the nonphysical entity of the mind. Dualism …show more content…
is the theory that mind and matter are two distinct things. Humans have both physical properties and mental properties. People have the sort of properties ascribed in the physical sciences. These physical properties include color, weight, shape, size, motion through space and time, etc. But they also have mental properties. However, we do not ascribe these mental properties to typical physical objects. These properties involve consciousness, intentionality, and that they are possessed by the subject or a self. The main argument for dualism is that facts about the objective “outside” world of particles and fields of force, the study of physics, are not facts about how things appear from a subjective point of view, whereas facts from a subjective point of view are precisely individual thoughts and subjects. There are two types or kinds of dualism; substance dualism and property dualism. Substance dualism holds that the mind or soul is a separate, nonphysical entity and leaves room for the possibility that the soul might be able to exist outside of the body, either before birth or after death. Property dualism, however, disagrees with this theory. Property dualism says there is no soul distinct from the body, but only one thing, a person, has two irreducibly different types of properties, mental and physical. Substance dualism is something with “independent existence” meaning it can exist on its own. Substance dualists believe that only spiritual substances can have mental properties, and it is a “soul” along with memories that constitute the survival of each person. Plato believed that the soul and the body are two separate entities or substances that interact and that the real identity of the person lies with the soul. The body and the mind are often conflicting. The body is interested in eating and sleeping, which are sense pleasures, and they often get in the way of intellectual necessities. Often the demands of the body takeover completely. Plato saw the body as an annoyance and a quandary. “He says it is not a real person. We may say I have a body, but not I am a body. Plato believed that the real person is separate and distinct from the body it inhabits, and the soul has existed prior to being in the present body and, in death, will leave the body.” (thestudentroom.co.uk) He says the soul is on a higher level of reality than the body. The body is concerned with the senses and the soul with reason. The soul is not always perfect, however, and the body debases it and drags it down. We humans have the task of taking care of the soul, but we are easily corrupted and led astray. Plato has four arguments for the existence of a soul. One being the linguistic argument which is the fact that we use a language about ourselves suggesting a distinction. For example, using I, we, me, etc. seeming to refer to an inner and separate reality. The second argument is the knowledge argument which is defined by somehow within the world of change and constant motion, “we can grasp certain universals which are not affected by time and space so there must be something within us that is equally unaffected by change and constant motion that has the ability to grasp them.” (thestudentroom.co.uk) The argument from recollection is the third argument for the existence of a soul and says because we know the universals we must have seen them before. So since we know, comprehend or remember something, we must have seen or heard it before. The fourth and final argument is the cycle of opposites. We know things by their opposites. Life must come from death, and death must come from life which suggests a perpetual cycle of human souls coming and going from death and then to life over and again. According to St. Augustine, dualism is the combination of the “lower-self” or impure body and flesh, and the “higher-self” is the purified soul. St. Augustine's theological system saw the world as being two distinct parts: the world of the spirit and the world of matter. “St. Augustine used the Platonic tradition as his philosophical framework to harmonize and shape the Christian philosophical anthropology that is compatible with the teachings of the Christian Scriptures.” (cafn.us) St. Augustine used many of the neo-Platonic ideas while developing his view of the Christian world and life in general; views such as, an individual human person is the quintessence of the body and soul combination. The soul separate from the body and vice-versa cannot be recognized as a whole entity. A man has to have both the mortal material body and the immortal soul together as one. He had evidently been a Platonist before his conversion to Christianity. St. Augustine’s view on the soul sought to reprise the Platonic and neo-Platonic understanding and view of the immortality of the soul. For St. Augustine, the souls are created, but immaterial substances concurrently convey the image of God.
Ancient Egypt has experienced dualism since the beginning between culture and political aspects.
The symbolism of life, death and rebirth was performed each day, in the Rite of The House of Morning. Priests and courtiers would be present, and the king was bathed in water from the local temple lake to symbolize his rebirth. This duality also existed within the political structure of ancient Egypt. “It was divided into two separate areas; The North, Lower Egypt – The Delta Area, which comes from the Greek, faces the Mediterranean, and is fed by two main branches of the Nile; and The South, Upper Egypt, is hemmed in by the desert. Before the unification of Egypt, there also existed two kingdoms, the Red Land (the Delta) and the White Land (The South). These were political entities, not to be confused with the Red Land – The Desert and the Black Land. The Northern Kingdom is Lower Egypt, and the Southern Kingdom is Upper Egypt.” (thewhitegoddess.co.uk) The most unambiguous concept regarding Egyptian dualism is the “Life-force” known a “Ka.” The dualism theme is also apparent in the ancient Egyptian religions’ legendary battle between Osiris and Set or
Seth.
Hinduism believes in a reality called the Brahman which is the source of all living things in the universe. The Brahman is the concept of all reality and existence. It is the ultimate goal of everything that exists. Brahman is in all things, and it is the atman (true Self) of all beings. The individual soul and Brahman are absolutely non-different. Atman is pure consciousness, and the highest reality, Brahman, also is pure consciousness. So, to my understanding, the Atman and the Brahman are one in the same, however, not at the same time. The soul in Hinduism, is the Atman.
The founder of Persian dualism was Zarathustra, or, as the Greeks called him, "Zoroaster". Zoroaster designed a religious system with a moral vital importance that assumed a body/soul dualism. It is in Zoroastrianism that the nature of dualism changes and assumes its more permanent characteristics. “The common meaning of a dualistic conflict became good versus evil, right and/or wrong, and so on; the sources of good and evil were separate, both no longer came from a single source as in the Aegean era. The Aegean gods, such as Zeus, were both good and bad; they shared both qualities as their worshippers considered them deities with human traits. Within the Zoroastrian theory, this changed. Good and evil came from separate sources, not one; dualism no longer was a combat between a more powerful versus a weaker god; and it now involved the struggle between the good, or perfect, deity against the evil one.” (themystica.com)
To conclude, dualism is a vastly expansive topic that is difficult to surmise and comprehend. There are many variations and definitions about what dualism actually is. The concept of a spirit or soul that is contained within the body is an ancient even pre-historic idea. This concept has stimulated endless amounts of theoretical discourse and influenced both philosophy and religion throughout most of civilization. Plato’s theory of knowledge helps us understand this. He says, “there are two levels of knowledge: one is sense-perception and constantly changes, the other is available to the intellect and remains constant.” The idea that the mind is a separate entity and that it is completely independent of any physical body is an extraordinary concept to digest. Dualism, however, does not fit well with today’s knowledge and understand of physics and science. It is highly dubious based on several reasons some of which include the law of conservation of energy, and how we have come to understand how the mind and body interact with each other. Today, we have come to understand that the body is fully capable of thoughts. However, we seem to doubt that thoughts would still emerge if we were to take away the body which includes the brain. My question is, if the mind is truly a non-physical entity, and the brain simply a conduit, how do we have the ability, through purely physical means, evoke feelings of pleasure and pain, touch, smell, and even recall memories quite vividly? In some way, shape, or form, dualism must exist on some level, although I have only begun to comprehend what Plato, St. Augustine and other philosophers such as Descartes, were trying to teach us.
Works cited
"Augustine’s Philosophical Anthropology: Immortality of ..."CAFNEPAL. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Nov. 2014 <http://cafn.us/2011/01/26/augustine%E2%80%99s-philosophical-anthropology-immortality-of-human-soul-in-a-composite-soul-body/>
"Dualism - AllAboutPhilosophy.org." All About Philosophy. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Nov. 2014 <http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/dualism.htm>.
"Dualism - the MYSTICA." Dualism. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2014 <http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/d/dualism.html>.
"Duality of Ancient Egypt - Ancient Egypt - The White Goddess." The White Goddess. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2014 <http://www.thewhitegoddess.co.uk/articles/ancient_egypt/duality_of_ancient_egypt.asp>.
"Revision: Body and soul - The Student Room." The Student Room. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Nov. 2014 <http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/revision:body_and_soul>.