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Monism vs. Dualism A New Survival Logic
for Mind and Action For
centuries, philosophers have argued over monism and dualism.
Are mind and body one, or two? Is reality ultimately unified or divided? Let’s set
that whole debate aside. This
isn’t a philosophy article. It’s something much more practical. What if
monism and dualism aren’t abstract metaphysical ideas—but phases in a
survival algorithm? What if they describe how living systems, like you
and me, process uncertainty and act in the world? Let me
explain. Not Worldviews, but Operating Modes Forget
metaphysics (meaning: rationalisation). In this
model, monism and dualism aren’t beliefs. They’re states. They’re
functional modes that every adaptive system cycles through, especially
human beings. ·
Monism is a moment of clarity:
when you know what to do and act. ·
Dualism is the prior moment of
uncertainty: when you’re still weighing options. That’s
it. Simple, but profound. The Three-Phase Survival Cycle Every
time you take an action—whether that’s answering a question, making a decision, or crossing the street—your system
moves through three phases: 1. Input
(Monist) – You perceive something clearly. A discrete piece of
reality enters your awareness. 2. Throughput
(Dualist) – You consider it. You simulate outcomes, weigh
options, compare scenarios. 3. Output
(Monist) – You commit. You speak, move, decide—based on a
resolved internal state. This
process happens billions of times per second. That’s why human
cognition feels continuous, fluid, recursive. But under the hood, it’s actually quantised—a cascade of micro-decisions. Monism: The Adult's Logic In this
framework, monism is the survival logic of maturity. It’s the
phase of independent, coherent action—when you’ve processed enough
information to act decisively and wholly. Think of
a firefighter running into a burning building, a chess grandmaster making a
brilliant move, or even a parent choosing the right words in a tough moment.
These aren’t rash actions. They’re quantum decisions—whole,
indivisible, certain. Monism is
the moment when your system says: I am ready. I know what to do. Let’s
move. It’s not
perfect in a moral sense—it’s perfect in a functional sense. Ready
enough to risk being wrong. Dualism: The Child’s Logic Dualism, on the
other hand, is the survival logic of immaturity or dependency. That’s
not a flaw. It’s a phase. This is
when you're not yet ready to act. You’re still absorbing, comparing,
wondering. You haven’t resolved the noise into signal. It’s the
mindset of the child, the learner, the explorer. It’s open, adaptive,
curious—but not yet committed. It depends on external cues,
suggestions, and models. It’s where potential lives, but action
doesn’t. Dualism
isn’t weak. But if you stay in it too long, you’ll freeze. Every real system
needs to resolve into monism—or it fails to act when it counts. The Illusion of Continuity Because
these phase shifts happen so fast, we feel like we’re continuously
thinking and adapting. But
that’s an illusion. What we
really experience is a high-speed loop between: ·
Monist input (what just happened), ·
Dualist processing (what
could happen), ·
and Monist output (what we decide to do). You cycle
through this loop constantly—micro-acts of
survival, all day long. Why It Matters This
model isn’t just a cognitive theory—it’s a survival tool. Here’s what it can
teach us: ·
Know your phase: Are you in dualist mode
(still processing), or monist mode (ready to act)? Don’t confuse the two. ·
Don’t act too early: If
you're still undecided, resist premature monist output. Let dualism do its
work. ·
Don’t stay stuck: If
you’ve been processing forever, it’s time to commit. Survival doesn’t wait. ·
Respect the child, but
grow into the adult: Use dualism to explore. Use monism to decide. Maturity,
in this frame, isn’t about age—it’s about knowing when to be pluralistic,
and when to be singular. From Philosophy to Physics This
reframing takes monism and dualism out of the dusty halls of metaphysics and
places them into the real physics of living systems. They’re
not ideologies. They’re functions. Monism is
the act of stepping forward, fully. Dualism is the act of exploring before
you do. Life is
not a continuous stream. It’s a cascade of quantum survival decisions.
Learning to ride those cycles—knowing when to wait and when to move—isn’t
just smart. It’s what
keeps us alive. |