duality
doo-AL-ih-tee
/duːˈælɪti/
The quality or condition of consisting of two opposing or complementary parts, such as light and dark or yin and yang.
In Eastern thought, duality is often seen as an illusion masking an underlying, undivided unity.
The story behind the word. Traced back to Latin 'dualis' (containing two), from 'duo'. While Western philosophy often treated dualities as warring opposites (good vs. evil), Eastern philosophy viewed duality as interdependent halves of a single flowing circle.
Word relationships
- dichotomy: Dichotomy stresses a rigid division into two mutually exclusive parts, while duality often implies complementary opposites.
- polarity: Polarity stresses opposite poles with active tension between them.
- unity: Unity implies singleness or wholeness without fundamental division.
- singularity: Singularity emphasizes a unique, single state.
Commonly confused with
- duplicity: Duplicity means deceitfulness or double-dealing; duality means the state of having two parts.
Word family
- dual (adjective): Consisting of two parts or elements
- dualism (noun): The belief or system based on two basic principles
Collocations
- cosmic duality
- fundamental duality
- false duality
- transcending duality
Idioms & expressions
- two sides of the same coin
Example sentences
- "Yin and yang express the cosmic duality of cold and heat, passive and active." Taoist Cosmology
- "The wave-particle duality of light reveals that reality resists simple categorization." Modern Physics & Metaphysics
Memory hook
DUALITY has DUAL in it—like a dual-engine plane driven by two balanced forces. Two sides of one natural flow.
When not to use
Avoid using to mean simple double counting; it specifically refers to paired opposites or complementary forces.
Fun facts
- Niels Bohr placed the Taoist Yin-Yang symbol on his coat of arms after discovering quantum wave-particle duality.
Related words
Explore more words
dualism, wave-particle duality, dialectic, complementary, polarity, paradox
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