Grant Wiley – Platonic Dualism (student choice)


            There is an idea that I have started to study in another class called dualism. This is a concept that is pervasive in our Western culture and it is a way that most of us look at the world without even realizing it. From what I have read, it seems that this stems from the philosopher Plato, although it certainly could have been present in the Pre-Socratic philosophers as well. In simple terms, Plato seemed to see the universe in two supposed realms, the immaterial and the material. This means physical things that we can see and touch and intangible things. For Plato, the immaterial was better than the material. While this seems simple at first, it has some consequences that are serious. 

            The first great example of dualism that I can think of in the Christian tradition is the modern view of heaven or the afterlife. Western Christians regularly think of heaven as something like a spiritual place where we will float around in the presence of God. While this is likely what the Bible teaches about the intermediate state after death, it certainly is not the entire plan of redemption. There will be a New Creation in which we will receive new physical bodies and live on a physical new Earth. This especially relates to the Christian approach to the wilderness and nature. If we follow Platonic dualism, the natural world is less good than something like friendship. It can even go as far as what we see in the Gnostic tradition in which the natural world represents evil. In sum, I think it is helpful to be aware of the dualistic mindset that most of us are wired into as it can help us better appreciate the environment and the material world around us.

-  April 3, 2021

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