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dualism
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Osiris and Isis
Osiris and Isis The Egyptian deities Osiris (left) and Isis.

dualism

religion
Written by
Ugo Bianchi
Professor of the History of Religions, University of Rome. Author of Il dualismo religioso; editor of The Origins of Gnosticism.
Ugo BianchiAll
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

dualism, in religion, the doctrine that the world (or reality) consists of two basic, opposed, and irreducible principles that account for all that exists. It has played an important role in the history of thought and of religion. In religion, dualism means the belief in two supreme opposed powers or gods, or sets of divine or demonic beings, that caused the world to exist. It may conveniently be contrasted with monism, which sees the world...

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