In philosophy, dualism is the belief that reality is ultimately composed of two fundamentally different types of substances or principles. Generally, dualism holds that there are two types of entities in the world: physical things, such as bodies and matter, and non-physical things, such as minds or souls.
The most well-known form of dualism is mind-body dualism, which holds that the mind and body are two distinct and separate entities. This means that the mind, which is often seen as the source of consciousness, thought, and reason, is not identical to the body or brain. According to this view, the mind is non-physical and cannot be reduced to the physical processes of the brain.
There are several variations of dualism, including substance dualism, property dualism, and interactionist dualism. Substance dualism maintains that mind and body are two separate substances or entities, while property dualism argues that mind and body share some properties but not others. Interactionist dualism suggests that the mind and body interact with each other in some way, despite their fundamental differences.
Dualism has been a topic of debate in philosophy for centuries, and has been criticized for its perceived lack of explanatory power and for its difficulty in explaining how mind and body interact with each other. Nonetheless, it remains an important and influential perspective in philosophy and continues to be discussed and debated by contemporary philosophers.