Answer to Esoteric Question #1
Posted on Feb 16, 2017
On the surface, the question posted appears straightforward and self-explanatory. However, this is not the case, as is true in all esoteric questions. To provide meaningful answers to any question, the first R+C principle to consider the syntactical formulation of the question so to see if the structure of the question restricts the complexity of ones analysis.
(1) For instance, suppose I had asked some of you the related question, “Is there a difference between the terms, dualism and polarity?”and others the actual question, “Explain the conceptual difference between dualism and polarity, as it pertains to esoteric studies.” Your immediate answers would be entirely different.
The syntactical structure of the related question automatically polarizes your answer so to restrict your response to an ‘either/or’ answer set. The question effectively limits you to saying either, YES or NO. The question does not allow you to answer YES in some ways and NO in other ways. In other words, polarizing a question limits a full understanding as most esoteric questions require much more than a simple affirmation or denial.
Moreover, as the nature of the related question is polarizing, in that, it’s syntax automatically creates two opposing semantic cognitive poles, YES and NO. When a question presents itself so to possess only two concrete answers, affirmation and denial, such question creates a new mental state of cognitive dualism. Cognitive dualism is defined as the mental perception and labeling, or phenomenal representation, of an observation of an object, entity, action, or energy/force present to his or her conscious perception as having two opposing poles or states of being.
For instance, the following pairs can be considered as possessing cognitive dualism: temperature (hot, cold), justice (fair, unfair), gender (male, female), magnetism (north, south), electricity (plus, minus) and so on. The correspondent principle for each of the pairs is that the underlying energy or force comprising each pair is unitary, even though, the presentation to the mind is binary.
For instance, both electricity and magnetism can be reduced to a single fundamental force, electromagnetism. Moreover, magnetic fields arise solely from the translation or rotation of electric charge and so are a relativistic phenomenons (not present in a resting laboratory frame).
Hot and cold are not more than mental judgments as to how our body is exchanging thermal energies with the environment. If we gain heat, we are hot, loss heat we are cold. Temperature is a measure of the energy of molecular motion relative to a zero reference point.
Therefore, even a poorly constructed question, as is the related question, provides a fuller answer to the question asked. Moreover, one meaning of polarity is as an action so to direct an answer to a particular question to affirm or deny.
(2) The first question is open-ended as it simply requests that one discuss one’s personal understanding as to any differences (or similarities) between polarity and duality in esoteric studies. The primary restriction being concepts important for esoteric studies.
So the second requirement for evaluating a question is to note any conceptual bounds present in the question. For the question asked, explanations of physical dualism and cognitive dualism do not apply and so should not be provided (unless related by correspondence and analogy).
In esoteric studies, the only category of dualism of interest, based upon the structure of the question, is substance dualism. In philosophical circles, substance dualism would declare that the universe, as a totality, is dual in nature. For instance, the universe arises from the cooperation of two distinct energies (beings). One energy being aphysical, (mind of God) and the other physical energy/matter. On a smaller scale, man is both physical body and aphysical body.
The difference substance dualism and physical or cognitive dualism is that substance dualism is a fundamental parameter of the universe, while the other two deal with human perception and interpretation.
(3) So in conclusion, one can say that polarity and non-substance dualism work together so to help us explain how the world operates, physically or mentally.
Substance dualism is an esoteric concept. Moreover, to say that only God exists, but manifests in two manners, is substance monism and not substance dualism.
I do hope this answer is helpful in clearing up common misunderstanding.