The Power of Dualism

Dualism is attractive because it is so damned explanatory. It speaks to the depth of our negative experiences. In the depths of Jobian suffering, we feel assaulted by God. The evil of the moment is cosmic in scope. The great dark science fiction of literary history comes to life when bad times hit. "To suffer is to experience life as the hatred of God."

Yet our good experiences are also spoken to. Our deepest interior experiences, our most beautiful 'exterior' experiences. These moments are like the love of God, it is like God is love and we are within God. This is what it is like to experience the best life has to offer.

In a dualistic world, both sides are naturally true. Moreover, we have some sense as to where the consistency of natural law comes from. Two equally powerful forces would create a kind of consistency from their actions.

Yet ultimately, there is one experience left out, that of overcoming the dark. To suffer creatively is to experience life as light overcoming dark, to experience a promise, a promise that life in it's essence is 'good'. Moreover, our experience of meaning would be obliterated by a truly dualistic worldview. The softer dualism of Classical Christianity is thus a better fit existentially and morally.

There is truth in dualism. Extracting it without falling for the overall picture is difficult.