Dualism

Dualism refers to the concept that there are two fundamental principles operative in the world and that these two principles are independent and irreducible. The concept of dualism is important within both a philosophical and theological framework.

Philosophically, the question is most often concerned with the relation between mind and body is thus intimately concerned with the question of consciousness. There are two basic forms of dualism, substance dualism and property dualism. Substance dualism holds that the mind is a separate entity, non-physical in nature. Property dualism holds that the mind cannot exist separately from the body or person which is said to have two irreducibly different properties, mental and physical.