SH+P6+2014+Dual+Nature+of+Man

Dual Nature of Man (Aim) Kailie Szewczyk Dual nature of man is the basic concept that every person consists of two sides; one side projects the virtuosity that people possess, and the other represents corruption. The Oxford Dictionaries describe, “[Dualism is] the division of something conceptually into two opposed or contrasted aspects, or the state of being so divided” (1). Dualism and the extensive belief of a mind-body connection is heavily religion based. However, regardless of religious beliefs, the phrase “dual nature of man” explicitly explains that people can be deceiving and two-faced. While it may seem as though some people do not have an evil personality, Dualism aims to prove that every person, no matter how unimpeachable they may seem, is “corrupt” in some way or another. Another main aspect of dualism involves perception; how people are perceived by others is often very different from how they perceive themselves. In the book, “The Body and The Self”, it is written, “[Jean] Piaget was concerned, in part, with the preverbal roots of a Dualism between the subject’s experience of how things appear at particular times...” (Bermudez 128). If someone views themselves as a wicked person, they will likely project that to others. Because of this, others will most likely not be able to envision this “wicked” person displaying principled behaviors. On the other hand, if people view someone as kindhearted, they will not expect said person to be a product of Dualism and have a skeptical side to their personality. Overall, the purpose of Dualism is to expose the multiple personalities inside of everyone.

Dual Nature of Man (Audience) Amanda Marks The dual nature of man is man’s ability to love and to hate their peers, friends, strangers etc. This is the very subject that is taught about in most religious sermons; men must fight against the instinct to hate and move towards being kind or charitable. It is common to hear a lesson of this nature, “The Scriptures represent man as a twofold, or dual, being…” (Church of God 1). This is a common belief in religion, that men have two parts to them body and spirit. However, another way that this is interpreted is love and hate in mankind. It is just as common to find a relationship with love and hate, as it is to find a relationship with love and hate. In the speech “Strength to Love” it states, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that” (King 1-4). Dr. King is an example of the type of audience that hears, or understands, the dual nature of man. Dr. King’s whole purpose was to go against man’s natural instinct to retaliate when persecuted. His audience, friends, neighbors, brothers, sisters, and peers did so and then became recipients of the dual nature of man. The dual nature of man draws in these types of people, people searching for a change or better way of life, as its audience.

Dual Nature of Man (Historical) Megan Nickerson The dual nature of man, in a religious sense, is the philosophical idea that man is made up partially of body and partially of spirit and soul. This concept has been around throughout history but has been interpreted in many different ways. Another take on this conceptual belief is that man has the ability to both love and hate. One well known figure in history who utilized this concept as a basis for his ideals is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In his speech “Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community?” he states, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that”(12-14). In this quote, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. also references the spiritual sense of the term through his analysis of darkness and light thereby tying the two interpretations into one. Another notable figure in history who spoke of these ideals is Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi interpreted the ideal in way that evaluates the strength of love versus human nature as proven by this quote, “Man's nature is not essentially evil. Brute nature has been know to yield to the influence of love. You must never despair of human nature” (4). Mahatma Gandhi speaks of the dual nature of man in less of a spiritual light and more of a moral battle between the human nature of compassion as opposed to the natural ability to hate, which is justified by the quote. Various perceptions of the dual nature of man have been theorized by countless scholars and leaders throughout history but a majority boil down to an analysis of love, hate, soul, and body.

Dual Nature of Man (Cultural) Estefania Camacho Garcia

The Dual Nature of Man is an abstract idea that there is both light and darkness in man and in mankind in general. Dualism can be defined as, “having double character or purpose” (Free Dictionary). In this case, humans have the ability to posses two sides; one side holds integrity, and the other consists of dishonesty and lacks in morals. Throughout the world, there is evil and goodness. A common place where this quality can be found is in mankind, such as in mankind as a whole and individually. It is almost inevitable to live in a world where there is pure light or pure darkness. Dualism is also a very controversial issue in modern society. As it is stated in the Bible, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander” (Matthew 15:19). In man, it can be seen that man is born innocent and naive, and still retains some of those qualities later in life, but they acquire more characteristics as time passes. Some of these characteristics are what cause the dual nature of man to present itself. The dual nature of man has definitely affected modern culture and society. Thanks to the dual nature of man, a person can distinguish right from wrong. Due to the actions of what a person may consider “good” and “bad”, people can decide what actions they will commit and how they will judge or punish others according to their balance. In today’s modern society, they try to collectively make “good” win in all occassions; this is obviously a hard task. Due to dual nature of man, this is very unlikely; because of the Chinese philosophical idea of Yin and Yang, there is always goodness in evil actions and there is always evil in goodness. This is also represented by the image of the Yin and Yang symbol with the colors black and white. Without the goodness or evil, man would not be able to distinguish or appreciate either characteristic. Most of the countries founded have been based off of the decision of goodness and some morals. These countries then proceed to make their foundations and establish rules based off of the dual nature of man. Because of the dual nature of man, rules have to placed to set consequences for people who commit crimes and even rewards for people who pursue the correct actions according to society. Culturally, the dual nature of man affects and shapes society as a whole.

Works Cited "Bible Gateway Passage: Matthew 15:19 - English Standard Version." Bible Gateway. N.p.,n.d. Web. 25 July 2014. "Church of God." Chapter 2. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 July 2014. "Definition of Dualism in English:." Dualism: Definition of Dualism in Oxford Dictionary (American English) (US). N.p., 2014. Web. 25 July 2014. "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Quotations." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Quotations. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 July 2014. "Dual." The Free Dictionary. Farlex, n.d. Web. 25 July 2014. "Mahatma Gandhi Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 26 July 2014. "The Body and The Self." Google Books. Ed. Jose L. Bermudez, Anthony Marcel, and Naomi Eilan. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, n.d. Web. 25 July 2014.