PRINCIPLE OF DUALITY

"Everything is dual; everything has two poles; everything has its pair of opposites" (The Kybalion).

"Human consciousness is dual" (Paul Twitchell).

"Everything is consciousness" (Sri Aurobindo).

"Our brains are dual and each half has its own way of knowing, its own way of perceiving external reality" (Betty Edwards).

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The Two Modes of Consciousness. The Dual Nature of Mind
Philosophers and scientists of different times and cultures have postulated the idea that our mind possesses a dual nature. Today it is known that there are two basic modes of consciousness, which are associated with the two cerebral hemispheres:

• Left hemisphere (HI) mode.
  These are the functions of analysis, reductionism, sequential reasoning (step by step), handling of known elements (from the past) to elaborate new ones.
  
  
• Right hemisphere (HD) mode.
  These are the functions of synthesis, global and intuitive recognition, holistic, visualization of objectives and goals that have a future dimension.

Each hemisphere perceives reality in a different way. In all types of activity, as well as during mental processes, both hemispheres are used, interacting in a synchronized and coordinated manner, merging the two modes of consciousness. These two modes of consciousness are connected and communicated through different bridges of neurons called commissures, which connect the two hemispheres, the corpus callosum being the largest bridge.

In animals, the two hemispheres are essentially equal or symmetrical in their functions. However, the human cerebral hemispheres exhibit a functional asymmetry.

The nervous system is cross-connected to the brain: the right hemisphere controls the left side of the body, and the left hemisphere controls the right side. Therefore, the left hand is controlled by the right hemisphere, and the right hand by the left hemisphere.

The two hemispheres cooperate with each other in various ways. Sometimes each hemisphere cooperates with the other, each performing the task it does best. At other times, they work separately: when one hemisphere acts, the other is more or less deactivated. And it seems that there may also be conflict between the hemispheres, when both try to perform the same task, or one tries to do the task that is the task of the other. In addition, it seems that each hemisphere has a mechanism to "hide" knowledge from the other.

The reality that we have two different modes of consciousness has been, in general, ignored by educational systems, enhancing only the rational, verbal, analytical and temporal mode, leaving forgotten the "half brain" of each student, with which we imagine, visualize, relate and create new ideas. The right side is also the foundation of our understanding of the world.

We currently seem to be in a process of transition to a new collective consciousness where more and more right-side awareness is of increasing importance.

We have an enormous internal potential, which we do not take advantage of. We only take advantage of a tiny part of it, the rational and analytical part. At the intuitive and synthetic level, the possibilities are infinite. We live like paupers without knowing that we are rich. "The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift" (Einstein).

Children up to the age of 5 learn synthetically, with the right side. From that age, the left side develops, with analytical thinking. That is why it is recommended that children learn a foreign language before the age of 5.

The HD can be stimulated by perception in general, poetry, music, contemplation of mandalas, visual images and by imagination. Right-sided visionaries were Tesla, Einstein and Kepler who perceived truth through intuition.


General characteristics

The following table summarizes the most important general characteristics (in alphabetical order) associated with each of the hemispheres:

Ο RIGHT HEMISPHERE	□ LEFT HEMISPHERE.
Open	Closed
Absolute	Relative
Abstract	Concrete
Acausal	Causal
Aespatial	Spatial
Broad	Narrow
Analogical	Digital
Artistic	Technical
Ascending	Descending
Atemporal, Permanent, Immortal	Temporal, Changeable, Mortal
Basic	Auxiliary
Centralized	Distributed
Centripetal	Centrifugal
True	Opinionable
Class, Category	Instance
Collaborative	Competitive
Complete	Incomplete, Partial
Comprehensive	Explanatory
Compressed	Expanded
Concentrated, Compact	Disperse
Connected, United	Disconnected, Separated
Continuous	Discrete
Convergent	Divergent
Creative	Structured
Qualitative	Quantitative
Diffuse, Blurred	Precise, Accurate, Sharp
Dynamic	Static
Emotional	Cerebral
Essential	Accessory
Esoteric	Exoteric
Spontaneous	Forced
Feminine	Masculine
Flexible	Rigid
Strong, Powerful	Weak
Fundamental	Accidental
Future	Past
General	Particular
Generic	Specific
Global	Local
Holistic	Reducationist
Humanistic	Scientific
Illimited	Limited
Imaginary, Virtual	Real
Implosion	Explosion
Implanned	Planned, Premeditated
Unconscious	Conscious
Independent, Self-Supporting	Dependent
Indeterminate	Determinate
Infinite	Finite
Unmanifest	Manifest
Immeasurable	Measurable
Integrated	Divided, Fragmented
Intensive	Extensive
Internal	External
Intrinsic	Extrinsic
Intuitive, Irrational	Rational, Logical
Invisible, Hidden	Visible
Free	Controlled, Controlled, Directed, Restricted
Mental	Material
Metaphorical	Literal
Mythical	Historical
Monothematic	Polifacetic
Natural	Artificial
Necessary	Contingent
Non-Linear (Circular, Exponential or logarithmic)	Linear
Nuclear	Peripheral
Ordered	Disordered, Chaotic
Organic	Mechanical
Oriental	Western
Parallel (Simultaneous)	Series (Sequential)
Passive	Active
Thinking (Internal Language)	External Language
Perfective, Regular, Ideal	Imperfective, Irregular
Folded	Unfolded
Potential, Possible	Potential, Actual, Actual
Primary	Secondary
Primitive	Derivative
Deep	Surface
Related	Isolated
Relaxed	Tensed, Strained
Wise	Intellectual
Simple	Complex
Effortless	Strenuous
Synchronous	Asynchronous
Singular	Plural
Synthetic	Analytical
Subjective	Objective
Superior	Inferior
Theoretical	Practical
Transcendent	Immanent
Single	Multiple
Unified	Differentiated, Diversified
Universal	Particular
True	Ilusive, Apparent, False
Yin	Yang

Universal Dualism
Mind is a reflection of nature, and nature also has two modes of consciousness. The human mind is a reflection or manifestation of a universal power or archetype: universal duality. The dual nature of mind is only a reflection of universal duality.

There are innumerable dual aspects that can be identified in different fields or areas. Here are some examples of pairs of dual terms, where the first term corresponds to the HD mode of consciousness, and the second term corresponds to the HI mode.


Alchemy

• Coagulation vs. dissolution.
  Coagulation or condensation is associated with the centripetal, the feminine and the celestial. Dissolution is associated with the centrifugal, the masculine and the terrestrial. Coagulation unites, integrates, assimilates. Dissolution separates, distinguishes, isolates.
  
  
• Mercury vs. sulfur.
  Mercury is the feminine principle (yin): passive, centripetal and compressive. Sulfur is the masculine principle (yang): active, centrifugal and expansive. Clearly, these are not chemical elements, but principles.

Art

• Music vs. Lyrics.
  In a musical composition, the music is the deep stuff. The lyrics are the superficial.

Astronomy

• Copernicus vs. Ptolemy.
  In the Copernican view, the center is the Sun, the deep and distant. Ptolemy's view is that the center of the universe is the Earth, the shallow and near.

Biology

• Creationism vs. evolutionism.
  For creationists, life was an act of a higher being. For evolutionists, life arose and evolved from matter.
  
  
• Organicism vs. Mechanicism.
  Organicism (also called vitalism) views the living being as an integrated whole of organizing (or self-organizing) relationships. Vitalists assert that there is a non-physical entity (force or field) that produces life. According to Bergson, there is an energetic fluid (elan vital) that makes organisms evolve. According to Rupert Sheldrake, there are morphic (or morphogenetic) fields, generating fields of biological forms.
  
  Mechanicism reduces biological processes to mere physico-chemical processes.

Sciences

• Alchemy vs. chemistry.
  Alchemy deals with the deep, with causes. Chemistry is the science of the superficial, of the analytical, of facts. One can say that alchemy is the hidden (or deep) part of chemistry or that chemistry is the visible (or superficial) part of alchemy.
  
  
• Astrology vs. astronomy.
  Astrology studies the hidden, invisible, unmanifest part of the celestial bodies. Astronomy studies the manifest part.
  
  
• Mathematics vs. computer science.
  We can interpret mathematics as the theoretical or abstract aspect of the possible, and computer science as the practical aspect or application of mathematics.
  
  
• Metaphysics vs. Physics.
  A revolution is currently brewing in physics, brought about mainly by quantum mechanics, which attempts to explain physics as a manifestation of a metaphysical realm, deep and transcendent, beyond the material.

Communication

• Nonverbal vs. verbal.
  Nonverbal communication is synchronous and appeals to our intuition. Verbal or discursive communication is linear and rational.
  
  
• Symbol vs. sign.
  Symbols are simple graphic representations, i.e., made with a few elements, which do not require external interpretation, because by themselves they evoke archetypes of the collective unconscious and appeal to intuition. Symbols are the components of the language of intuition.
  
  Signs are representations of intellectual-type concepts. They require external interpretation. Symbols transcend signs.

Knowledge

• Transdisciplinary vs. Disciplinary.
  Transdisciplinary knowledge is the common or essential knowledge of all disciplines. Disciplinary knowledge is knowledge restricted to one discipline.

Law

• Justice vs. Law.
  Justice is the deep aspect. Law is the superficial aspect.

Economy

• Liberalism vs. interventionism.
  Adam Smith vs. John Maynard Keynes.

Spirituality

• Contemplation vs. meditation.
  Contemplation does not elaborate mental contents, it only perceives. Meditation is elaboration of mental contents.
  
  
• Faith vs. Reason.
  Faith is the connection with the divine. Reason is human. Faith goes beyond reason.
  
  
• Sacred vs. profane.
  The sacred evokes the profound. The profane is the superficial.

Philosophy

• A priori vs. a posteriori.
  In philosophy, an a priori concept is a concept that is prior to experience. An a posteriori concept is a concept that is acquired through experience.
  
  
• Idealism vs. Positivism (or realism).
  Idealism gives primacy to the subjective, internal, theoretical world. Positivism (or realism) gives primacy to the objective, experiential, external and practical.
  
  According to Gödel, positivism is the stance of the plitical left, along with materialism and skepticism. And the idealist view is the stance of the political right, along with metaphysics and theology.
  
  
• Mind vs. Matter.
  It is the famous dichotomy of Cartesian philosophy.
  
  
• Noesis vs. Dianoia
  In the ancient Greek philosophy of Plato and Aristotle, Nóesis is the knowledge of pure intelligence (the world of Ideas). And Diánoia is discursive knowledge.
  
  
• Nóumeno vs. Phenomenon.
  For Kant, the noomenon is the thing itself, what it really is. The phenomenon is only the appearance of that thing.
  
  
• Ontology vs. Epistemology.
  Ontology deals with that which is, with the being that is hidden behind appearances. Epistemology deals with that which can be known, that which has the appearance of reality. Plato favored ontology. Aristotle and Descartes emphasized epistemology. Husserl and Kant attempted a certain reconciliation of the two.
  
  
• Plato vs, Aristotle.
  The respective positions of these great Greek philosophers are nicely reflected in Raphael's painting "The School of Athens," which shows Plato and Aristotle in the center, defending their respective theories. Plato, with his finger up, defending the theory of Ideas (intuition, concepts). Aristotle, palm down, defending that of forms (reason, logic) or hylemorphic theory (from hylé, matter and morphé, form), which states that everything is matter and form.
  
  
• Power vs. Act.
  Potency, according to Aristotelian and scholastic philosophy, is the capacity for action of an entity, and act is the result of that action. Potential is unmanifest and exists in a timeless domain. The actual is ephemeral, it exists in time.
  
  
• Being vs. Existing.
  "Being" is the deep level. "Existing" is the manifested level.
  
  
• Substance vs. Accident.
  According to Aristotle, Substance is that which is fixed and unchanging in reality. Accident is that which is subject to change and mutation. In turn, substance is made up of matter and form.
  
  
• Thanatos vs. Eros.
  Thanatos, archetype of death, leads us to unity, to Being. Eros, archetype of life, leads us to the ego.
  
  Eros is also often confronted with Logos. Women are characterized by the Eros principle: the ability to make connections. Men are oriented toward Logos, analytical thinking.

Physics

• Boltzmann vs. Clausius.
  Boltzmann represents the microscopic (deep) aspect of thermodynamics. Clausius represents the macroscopic (shallow) aspect.
  
  
• Bosons vs. fermions.
  These are the two types of particles that exist in nature. Fermions are the basic constituents of matter. Bosons are mediator particles responsible for the forces between fermions.
  
  
• Energy vs. matter.
  Matter is considered energy in condensed state and that is given by the famous Einstein equation E = mc² Matter and energy are two sides of the same coin.
  
  
• Quantum physics vs. classical physics.
  Classical physics is rational, mechanistic and studies local and superficial phenomena. Quantum physics studies the deep phenomena associated with quantum entities, and is only understandable by intuition. Hence the importance of studying quantum physics to know the true nature of the world.
  
  In classical physics there is causality and locality. In quantum physics there are no causal relations, everything is acausal and non-local.
  
  
• Future vs. Past.
  Synthetic consciousness, through the imagination of the future, constitutes our existential engine. If we had no imagination, we would stand still, stopped, unable to give continuity to our life. Every task we perform we have first to imagine it, to visualize it internally. And imagination is our engine. Another way of saying it is that with imagination we produce a connection between the present and the future. With rational consciousness we contemplate and analyze the past.
  
  
• Magnetism vs. Electricity.
  Electricity can be considered associated with the masculine, as it is dynamic, requires activity, work or force (potential difference) and is temporary. Magnetism is passive, static, requires no force, is permanent. Both aspects are symmetrically linked: an electric field generates a magnetic field, and through the so-called electromagnetic induction an electric field is produced.
  
  
• Observer vs. Observed.
  It is the object-subject duality applied to the field of physics. The two are interrelated, an aspect that becomes more evident in the case of quantum mechanics, where the observer affects the observed.
  
  
• Wave vs. particle.
  According to Bohr's principle of complementarity, a subatomic entity has a dual nature: sometimes it behaves as a particle and sometimes as a wave. The wave corresponds to a more fundamental, deeper level, and the particle corresponds to a superficial level of manifestation.
  
  
• Implied Order vs. Explained Order.
  The theory of implicate order is the theory of physicist David Bohm. Deep reality corresponds to a folded, unmanifest, hidden order. Surface reality corresponds to explained, unfolded, manifest order, the order of all phenomena in nature.
  
  
• Time vs. space.
  Time is feminine. Space is masculine. Einstein discovered that time and space are linked, that they are two sides of the same coin. According to Kant, space and time are the two fundamental forms of human experience. Space is associated with the external sense, and time with the internal sense.

Geography

• East vs. West.
  The East is associated with the intuitive. The West is associated with the rational.

Geometry

• Circle vs. square.
  The circle is associated with Heaven, the perfect, the limitless and the absolute. In turn, the center of the circle symbolizes the unmanifest and unity, while the circumference symbolizes the manifest and multiplicity. At the 3D level we have, respectively, the cube and the sphere. The sphere is considered the most perfect form. The square is associated with the Earth, the imperfect, the limited and the relative.
  
  
• Compass vs. square.
  In Masonic symbology they appear together. The compass symbolizes intuitive consciousness, and the square symbolizes rational consciousness.
  
  
• Graphic (vector) vs. Image (raster).
  A graphic is represented by vectors or lines. An image is represented by pixels, with detail.

Computing

• Interactive process vs. batch (batch) process.
  Interactive process is more general than batch process, which is sequential.
  
  
• Parallel process vs. sequential process.
  The parallel process is an activity associated with the HD. The sequential process is associated with the HI.
  
  
• Operating System vs. Applications.
  The operating system is associated with the nuclear, the essential and deep. Computer applications are associated with the peripheral, the superficial.

Linguistics

• Language vs. speech.
  Saussure −the first modern linguist− distinguished between the internal (or deep) aspect, language, and the external (or surface) aspect, speech. Saussarian linguistics was a generic or universal model of knowledge that reached into all the human sciences, including philosophy, semiotics, and anthropology, and gave rise to the structuralist movement.
  
  
• Semantics vs. syntax.
  Semantics is the deep aspect, the meaning of language. Syntax is its superficial aspect.
  
  
• Meaning vs. Signifier.
  In Saussure's theory of the sign, the term "signifier" is used in linguistics to denote the material or quasi-material component of the linguistic sign (the acoustic image, the string of phonemes that in a given sequence make up a spoken word) and which has the function of pointing to the signified (mental representation or concept that corresponds to that phonic image).

Literature

• Don Quixote vs. Sancho.
  They symbolize two opposing conceptions of the world. Don Quixote is imaginative, creative, visionary, adventurous, idealistic, restless, intuitive, a fighter for justice, order, power and wisdom, who sees the profound and transcendent in the everyday. Sancho, on the contrary, is practical, rationalist, materialist, comfortable, realistic, conformist, calm, who only sees the superficial, the external.
  
  
• Verse vs. Prose.
  
  Verse appeals to intuition. Prose appeals to reason.

Mathematics

• Continuous vs. discrete.
  The continuum in mathematics is represented by the real line. From the point of view of right-side consciousness, it is a simple concept, whose nature is fractal (i.e., all segments of the line are equivalent or isomorphic. From the point of view of the consciousness of the left side, we find something of great complexity in a real labyrinth, as Leibniz said, and paradoxical. For example, all segments, regardless of size, have the same number of points, so that an infinitely small segment and an infinitely large segment have the same number of points. And this is so because the point is an abstract mathematical entity that has no extension. Therefore:
  
  
  • The continuous is the deep. The discrete is the superficial, a (visible) manifestation of the deep.
    
    
  • The continuous contains the discrete, but continuous and discrete are two distinct characteristics, the two poles of reality and consciousness.
    
    
  • It makes no sense to speak of the cardinality of the continuous because cardinality is associated with the discrete.
  
  
• Demonstration vs. Verification.
  Demonstration is associated with intuition. Verification is associated with logic. This distinction is due to Poincaré.
  
  
• Descriptive vs. Operational.
  The "what" (the descriptive) is a higher level of abstraction than the "how" (the operational).
  
  
• Freguian vs. Hilbertian.
  In mathematics, synthetic consciousness is associated with the so-called "Fregian" view (after Frege, a proponent of conceptual mathematics). Analytic consciousness is associated with the so-called "Hilbertian" view (after Hilbert, the driving force behind formalistic mathematics).
  
  Although Hilbert and Frege were proponents of the axiomatic method in mathematics, Frege was primarily concerned with the meaning of axioms. In contrast, Hilbert tried to avoid any interpretation of axioms and mathematical formulas. He sacrificed meaning in order to try to ground mathematics in a purely formal theory of demonstration within a higher discipline: metamathematics.
  
  
• Geometry vs. arithmetic and algebra.
  Arithmetic and algebra are linear, one-dimensional. Geometry is visual, multidimensional.
  
  Geometry is one of the most essential and profound sciences. Geometry is deeper than algebra and algebra is deeper (generic) than arithmetic. In fact, geometry is used in the symbols of the initiatory schools, in mandalas, in temples, etc. "Let no one enter here without knowing geometry," said the frontispiece of Plato's Academy, because for the ancient Greeks geometry was fundamental: it provides a basis for knowing everything else (physics, philosophy, aesthetics, poetry, politics, etc.) opening the door to intuition and the higher worlds, while allowing us to reason, analyze and relate.
  
  The numerical archetypes that unite arithmetic and geometry are the number π and the golden ratio (Φ), associated with the circle and the spiral, respectively.
  
  
• Induction vs. deduction.
  Deduction is a top-down process that goes from the generic to the specific, and has a finite character. Induction is an ascending process that goes from the particular to the general, and has an infinite character. Empirical science proceeds bottom-up, beginning with concrete observations and then proceeding inductively toward abstract, general laws and principles. Classical philosophy and metaphysics proceed the other way around: top-down, starting with certain abstract, general principles and proceeding to their concrete applications or manifestations.
  
  
• Infinity and Infinitesimal vs. finite numbers.
  Finite numbers are accessible (representable). Numbers of infinite type (infinitely large or infinitely small) are only accessible by intuition.
  
  
• Intuitionism vs. Formalism (or Axiomatism).
  
  These are the two main schools of foundationalism in mathematics, since logicism is really a form of axiomatism. Formalism is superficial. Intuitionism is deep.
  
  
• Irrational numbers vs. rational numbers.
  Irrational numbers, are entities of synthetic consciousness. They are inaccessible, not representable. Only their approximations are representable.
  
  Rational numbers (which include the natural numbers) belong to or "inhabit" the rational mode. They are accessible, capturable and representable. Rational numbers occupy an infinitesimal part of the real line. Most of the real numbers are irrational.
  
  
• Even numbers vs. odd numbers.
  According to traditional Chinese wisdom, even numbers are associated with yin, that is, they are passive and feminine. And odd numbers are associated with yang, i.e., they are active and masculine, Unity is the beginning of all numbers and is not considered as a number in this sense. The first odd number would be 3, and 2 would be the first even number.
  
  
• Prime numbers vs. composite numbers.
  Prime numbers are essential, primitive, deep, indivisible numbers. They are totalities in themselves, since they do not depend on other numbers (except unity). They are free and independent.
  
  Compound numbers, those expressed through primes, are manifested, superficial numbers. A number, the more divisors it has, the more superficial it is. Therefore, factorials are more superficial numbers, more noticeable, more visible.
  
  
• Probability vs. Statistics.
  Probability is about prediction, about the future. Statistics is about data analysis, about the past.
  
  
• Realism vs. Pragmatism.
  Realist or Platonist mathematicians claim that mathematical entities exist in a higher realm independent of humans. Pragmatists hold that everything is a creation of man. For platonists, mathematics is discovered. For pragmatists, mathematics is invented.
  
  
• Unity vs. natural numbers.
  From the unit, all natural numbers are obtained. An alternative version is "0 vs. 1", where 0 is the void, the unmanifested, the undifferentiated. 1 is considered the first manifestation from which all numbers can be generated.
  
  
• Empty vs. Distinctness.
  George Spencer-Brown, in his book "The Laws of Form" introduces two fundamental elements: the "Void" (which has no associated symbol) and the "Distinction" (symbolized by ⌉ ). [see Applications - Mathematics - Laws of Form].

Metaphors

• Forest vs. tree.
  The forest represents the global or general. The tree represents the detail, the particular.
  
  
• Heart vs. Brain.
  The heart is associated with intuition, with the direct perception of truth and with the center of being. In Hindu doctrine, the heart is the "divine city" (Brahma-pura) where the Atma (soul) resides, made of Purusha (the divine essence). The brain is associated with reason.
  
  
• Bird vs. Frog.
  The bird's vision is global. The frog's vision is local.
  
  
• Fox vs. Hedgehog.
  "Many things the fox knows, but one great thing the hedgehog knows" (Arquiloco).
  
  The fox pursues many goals at the same time, perceives the world as complex, is always analyzing, moving on different planes, but without integrating his ideas into a unified vision. The hedgehog, on the contrary, simplifies the complexity of the world into simple ideas that unify and guide everything else, discarding everything that has nothing to do with these ideas. When the fox and the hedgehog confront each other, the hedgehog always wins (or, at least, does not lose), for the hedgehog always resorts in his own defense to his main wisdom: coiling himself into a spiral of thorns pointing in all directions.
  
  Isaiah Berlin, in his famous essay "The Hedgehog and the Fox. An Essay on Tolstoy's Approach to History" (1953), recreating Archilochus' verse, classifies writers into centrifugal foxes (who explore the various horizons of the human condition, pursuing diffuse, seemingly unrelated, and even contradictory goals, such as Aristotle, Shakespeare, Goethe, Pushkin, Montaigne, Balzac and Joyce) and centripetal hedgehogs (who cling to a great concept, a central vision, a universal principle or a single way of seeing the world, such as Plato, Dante, Ibsen, Dostoiesky, Nietszche, Proust and Hegel). Regarding Tolstoy, Berlin says that he wanted to be hedgehog, author of a single definitive work, or to have in common a single theory about men, but he was a fox, for his temperament led him to produce many different works, with different ideas, to express the plurality of the world.
  
  According to Ernest Nagel and James R. Newman −authors of the book "Gödel's Theorem"− Russell was archetypal fox and Gödel archetypal hedgehog. Indeed, Russell was active, practical (radical realist) and multifaceted: writer, mathematician, philosopher, politician, humanist and traveler. In contrast, Gödel was preferably sedentary, idealistic (he was a Platonist) and almost monothematic, since his work is reduced to a small number of articles on mathematical logic (and, exceptionally, on physics and philosophy), but of great creativity, conciseness and rigor.

Methodology

• Strategy vs. Tactics.
  Strategy is general. Tactics is local, temporary.
  
  
• Holism vs. Reductionism.
  Reductionism asserts that any system, however complex, can be explained by the properties of its elementary components.
  
  Holism (from the Greek holos, whole, entire or total) asserts that all the properties of a system cannot be explained solely by the sum of each of its components. The system as a whole determines how the parts behave. Some systems are so complex that new or "emergent" behavior frequently appears that cannot be derived from the properties of its components. This is what is called "synergy". "The whole is more than the sum of its parts" (Aristotle, in Metaphysics).
  
  The term "holism" was introduced by Jan Smuts in his book "Holism and Evolution" (1926). In philosophy of language, semantic holism refers to the fact that the meaning of a word or phrase can only be understood in terms of its relations to the overall structure of the language.

Mythology

• Devas vs. Asuras.
  In the Vedic tradition, the Devas are divine beings (or angels) who rule the 3 regions (heaven, air and earth) and help mankind with their beneficent powers. The Asuras are a group of evil deities (or demons), whose qualities are arrogance, pride, anger, ignorance and cruelty.
  
  
• Dionysus vs. Apollo.
  According to Nietzsche, the Greek gods Dionysus and Apollo symbolize opposite aspects. Dionysus symbolizes the passionate, the vital, the impulsive, the spontaneous, the intuitive. Apollo symbolizes measure, logic and rationalism.
  
  
• Hermes vs. Prometheus.
  Hermes represents sophy, wisdom. Hermes unveils to man the hidden and spiritual world that transcends matter, that is, the mystical dimension of alchemy. Prometheus symbolizes techne, technique. Prometheus teaches man the use of fire or the metallurgical ability to modify matter, that is, the practical side of alchemy.
  
  
• Holos vs. Logos.
  Ervin Laszlo contrasts Logos versus Holos, i.e., the rational, analytical and local versus the intuitive, synthetic and global. Holos represents the essential unity of all that exists.
  
  
• Krisna vs. Arjuna.
  They are the characters of the Bhagavad-Gita. Krishna is the unmanifested and immortal. Arjuna is the manifest and mortal.
  
  
• Myth vs. Logos.
  Myths are symbolic stories that attempt to answer fundamental human questions or issues. Myths appeal to emotionality, without rational justification.
  
  Logos means etymologically "word", in the sense of meditated, reflected or reasoned. Therefore, Logos means, in general, reasoning, intelligence or thought in the form of speech, argumentation, study, science, etc.
  
  It is often said that philosophy lies in the passage from myth to Logos, that is, from the symbolic to logical and rational explanations.
  
  
• Myth vs. History.
  Myth is timeless. History is associated with time.

Organization

• Network organization vs. hierarchical organization.
  Networked structure implies interdependence and flexibility. Hierarchical structure implies dependence and rigidity. The network appears in numerous fields:
  
  
  • First of all, in nature, especially in biological systems. Nature does not show isolated elements but shows itself as a network of relationships between elements that, in turn, can also be networks. The network concept has been key to the understanding of nature.
    
    
  • In computer science, the World Wide Web is a global network of flexible interconnections.
    
    
  • In geometry, a fractal is a graph that presents the same pattern at all levels, which is the complete graph itself, i.e., the graph contains itself at different points (or re-entries). The fractal can be considered a network that implicitly or virtually interconnects all its elements.
    
    
  • In physics, a hologram is an image where in each part of the image the whole image appears. As in the case of fractals, there is union of each part with the whole.
    
    
  • In mythology, the net of the Hindu god Indra appears suspended over his palace or abode. It is an infinite net, extending in all directions, where at each of its intersections there is a shining jewel. Each jewel reflects the image of all the other jewels in the net, in a process of infinite reflection, thus uniting the particular with the totality. The Indra network symbolizes the Cosmos and the interrelationships between all its elements. Each element sustains and defines all the others. The cosmos is an organism that creates, sustains and defines itself. The cosmos is a network, with no center or whose center is everywhere.
    
    
  • In quantum physics there is the so-called "Zero Point Field" (Zero Point Field), an energy field associated with the vacuum, which creates an invisible energy network connecting all things.
    
    
  • The Akashic Field theory (long known to Eastern sages and mystics, and whose driving force and modern popularizer is Erwin Laszlo) states that at the root of reality there is a cosmic field of interconnection. This field connects not only the physical world but everything living, the fabric of life.

Orientalism

• Purusha vs. Prakriti
  In Hindu philosophy, essence and substance are called, respectively, Purusha and Prakriti Purusha is the divine essence that pervades the universe. Prakriti is the sensible manifestation (matter and energy) of Purusha The Vedic gods would be mere human interpretations of the many facets of the one Purusha. According to Vedic tradition, the primordial Purusha was divided to give rise to all particular manifested beings, thus symbolizing the passage from unity to multiplicity. Purusha and Prakriti are the principles expressing universal polarity.
  
  
• Shakti vs. Shiva
  They are the two fundamental principles of Hinduism. Shakti represents the feminine power (the Great Divine Mother). Shiva is the masculine power. The feminine power resides at the base of the spine (in the form of a serpent-like energy called kundalini), and the masculine power resides at the top of the spine. They are the two poles of the human vertical axis and that when the kundalini awakens and ascends, until it unites with the other pole, it produces enlightenment.
  
  
• Taoism vs. Confucianism.
  They correspond, respectively, to the esoteric and exoteric aspects of the Far Eastern tradition (mainly China). Taoism is linked to Lao-Tse, and Confucianism is linked to Confucius. Taoism emphasizes spontaneity and living in harmony with nature. Confucianism preaches civic virtue, respect for tradition and social hierarchies. Both doctrines emerged in the 6th century BC.
  
  
• Yin vs. Yang
  These are the two universal principles of traditional Chinese philosophy. They are complementary principles, not opposites, as they need each other to exist. The interaction of yin and yang give rise to the infinite variety of life patterns. The following table indicates the main dual characteristics by which these two principles manifest themselves according to Chinese philosophy:

Yin	Yang
North	South
Winter	Summer
Earth	Sky
Spirit	Matter
Female	Male
Negative	Positive
Dark	Light
Night	Day
Cold	Heat
Humid	Dry
Bottom	Up
Low	High
Passive	Active
Moon	Sun
Soft	Hard
Powerful	Weak

Psychology

• Anima vs. Animus
  They are Jungian archetypes. Anima is the feminine aspect in men. Animus is the masculine aspect in women.
  
  
• Consciousness vs. Consciousness.
  Consciousness (or self-consciousness) is universal, where there is no subject-object duality. Consciousness is associated with the particular, as we are aware of something, and where there is subject-object duality.
  
  
• Creativity vs. Discovery.
  Creativity is associated with synthetic consciousness. Discovery is associated with analytical consciousness. For example, when we are learning something new (driving a car, learning a language, etc.), it really dominates analytical consciousness until a point is reached where we are able to "see", i.e., when a switch, a shift from analytical consciousness to synthetic consciousness takes place. This change happens "all at once", suddenly. It is the creative "flash", when a global, synthetic vision is reached, that is, when the synthetic consciousness takes over and the analytical consciousness is subordinated to it. The most famous example of this process is Archimedes' "Eureka".
  
  
• Freedom vs. Determinism.
  Freedom resides in the deep. Determinism is superficial. Determinism is lack of freedom.
  
  
• Thinking (internal language) vs. external language.
  External language is a manifestation of internal language.
  
  
• Perception vs. Sensation.
  Sensation involves surface perception of something external physical. Perception is the process of interpretation, of assigning a sensation a conceptual category, a process of going deep from the physical to the mental level. "Reality is not perceived, it is conceived" (Crawford Stanley Holling).
  
  
• Relaxation vs. Tension.
  Relaxation is associated with perception or self-perception (with synthetic consciousness). Tension is associated with effort, with analytical thinking. Tension is caused by analytical mental activity.
  
  
• Subjective vs. objective.
  The subjective is the internal, the mental and individual. The objective is the external, the accessible to all.
  
  
• Dream vs. Wakefulness.
  Wakefulness is associated with the ego, the external self. Sleep immerses us in an inner, freer realm, which brings us closer to the Self. During sleep we integrate and order the external experiences of the ego.
  
  
• Superlearning vs. normal learning.
  Normal learning is analytical, requires effort (it is active learning) and is usually temporary, i.e., it usually disappears over time.
  
  Superlearning, or holistic learning, is of the synthetic type, requires hardly any effort (it is almost passive learning) and the result is permanent. This type of learning is supported by a background music of 60 cycles per minute (which curiously coincides with the heart rate).
  
  
• Internal time vs. external time.
  Internal time is deep. It is ultimately free of time, and it corresponds to the Self. External time is superficial, linear, and corresponds to the ego.
  
  
• Transpersonal vs. Personal.
  Transpersonal psychology seeks the deep and transcendental unity of all human beings. Personal is the psychology of the individual, personal.
  
  
• Inner self vs. outer self (Ego).
  It can be said that we possess two identities: 1) the ego, the superficial, thinking self, and 2) the Self or Self, the deep self, which is the witnessing consciousness that observes and perceives reality, including our own thoughts. In the Hindu philosophy of Vedanta (as expressed in the Upanishads), the thinking mind is called jiva and the witness-consciousness is called atman

Symbology

• Water vs. Fire.
  Water is a feminine element, flexible and adaptable. Fire is a masculine element, of strength and power.
  
  
• Heaven vs. Earth.
  These are the two fundamental principles, according to mystical teachings. Analogous terms are Superior vs. Inferior or Above vs. Below.
  
  
• Moon vs. Sun.
  The Moon is linked to the feminine, the color black, the water element and intuitive processes. The Sun is linked to the masculine, the color white, the fire element and intellectual processes.
  
  
• Black vs. white.
  The color black essentially symbolizes the primordial state of the unmanifested, and is associated with Heaven, the feminine, the intuitive and the occult. Black is associated with the gods. Isis, the Egyptian goddess, was black. Also the black hole in our galaxy is associated with the mother goddess Isis. Images of black virgins are adaptations of the ancient mother goddess to Christianity. The color white symbolizes the manifested and is associated with the Earth, the masculine, the rational and the visible. Analogous terms are, respectively, darkness and light. Light is a manifestation ("Let there be light," says the Bible), so it is associated with the physical world.
  
  
• Bird vs. Serpent.
  The bird symbolizes transcendence, freedom and Spirit. The snake is a primordial symbol of the lower, of instinct, of earth and water, because of its ability to move in these two media.
  
  
• Vertical vs. Horizontal.
  The vertical line symbolizes all states of consciousness (from higher to lower). The horizontal line symbolizes a field of manifestation. When both lines intersect it is symbolizing the universal man.

The Interconnection of Characteristics
The two modes of consciousness cover a whole set of properties that are interrelated or intertwined. In addition, the properties corresponding to each hemisphere are also related. By combining characteristics (in the manner of Llull's Ars Magna) we obtain new truths, for example:

• The greater the depth, the greater the awareness and the greater the truth.
  
  
• Dependence is associated with hierarchical structure. Interdependence is associated with the networked structure.
  
  
• Ego is associated with objective (external) time, and being (self) with internal time.
  
  
• The material is local. The mental is non-local.
  
  
• Semantics is associated with the deep, with the generic. Syntax with the superficial, the specific. In thermodynamics one usually speaks of syntax to refer to the detail of each of the molecules, and of semantics to refer to the general or global behavior. The second principle of thermodynamics (entropy law) is a semantic law, of global behavior. The emergent behavior of a system is a semantic property. In general, physical laws are semantic in nature.
  
  
• The local is restriction, limitation. Non-local is freedom.
  
  
• The analog is associated with the continuous. The digital with the discrete.
  
  
• The centripetal is associated with the feminine. The centrifugal with the masculine.
  
  
• The body is associated with the temporal. The soul is timeless, that is, it belongs to a dimension beyond matter, time and space.
  
  
• The limitless is the essential.
  
  
• The mind is semantic in nature, and tends to associate with each particular entity or phenomenon a meaning. It is an upward movement. It is this process that makes the world comprehensible and intelligible. The body is associated with form, syntax.
  
  
• The ego is conditioned, limited, restricted. The Self is free, unlimited.
  
  
• The profound is the universal. The superficial is the particular.
  
  
• The effort, the tension, is associated with the ego, with the limited and temporary consciousness. Non-effort, non-doing, relaxation, corresponds to the Self, which transcends time.
  
  
• Semantics is the subjective. Syntax is the objective.
  
  
• Semantics is the subjective.
• Order is associated with consciousness. The greater the consciousness, the greater the order, and the greater the order, the greater the consciousness. Confusion, disorder, chaos is poor, superficial consciousness.
  
  
• The past is closed. The future is open.
  
  
• The outer world is limited. The inner world is unlimited.
  
  
• Geometry is deeper than arithmetic and algebra. In fact, geometry is one of the sciences most represented in the ceremonies and symbols of the initiatory schools, as it is considered the most essential discipline.
  
  
• Ego and particle. The particles have ego. The Self of the atomic entity is the wave. The wave is of a subjective, deep nature.

Therefore, these categories can be considered as different aspects of the same unified consciousness, that these aspects are not independent, that they are related. They are the two poles of consciousness, the two ways of seeing or perceiving reality.


The HD-HI representation

If we represent the consciousness of the left hemisphere of the brain (HI) as a square, and that of the right hemisphere (HD) as a circle, we have 4 types of representation:

1. The physical representation. It is with HI on the left and HD on the right, both connected by a line.
   
   
   
   
2. As HD consciousness is higher than HI, we represent them vertically, with HD on top of HI.
   
   
   
   
3. As HI can be considered as a particularization or manifestation of HD, we can represent both of them concentrically, one inside the other: HD as a deep, unmanifest level and HI as a superficial, manifest level.
   
   
   
4. Finally, a fourth representation corresponds to a square not horizontal, but resting on one of the vertices, to symbolize the idea of movement or change of this manifested level. It is the symbol of the Unus Mundus.
   
   

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Addenda
The Brain

The brain is the most complicated organ in the human body. It weighs about 400 grams. Viewed from above, the human brain resembles the appearance of a walnut, with two rounded halves (the hemispheres) connected at the center. It is as soft as jelly. It is made up of 100 billion neurons. The HD controls the left side of the body and the HI the right. Both hemispheres present a functional asymmetry that is appreciably manifested in the predominance of the use of one hand over the other. The left hand is regulated by the HD and the right hand by the HI.

Both hemispheres communicate through the corpus callosum, which is composed of about 300 million nerve fibers. We have two consciousnesses connected and integrated by a "cable" of nerve fibers linking both hemispheres.

Robert Sperry was one of the most prominent researchers on this subject. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1981 for his work on the functions of the cerebral hemispheres. Sperry showed that if the corpus callosum was surgically severed, the two halves of the brain continued to function independently. This is the model of cerebral bipolarity.

There are 3 models of the brain:

1. The triune brain, by Paul MacLean. The brain is actually 3 brains, each superimposed on the previous one: 1) the ancient and primitive reptilian brain; 2) the limbic or mammalian, which registers rewards and punishments, the seat of emotion and controls the autonomic nervous system; 3) the neocortex, the thinking brain.
   
   
2. The dual brain (left/right), by Roger Sperry. These are the left and right halves of the neocortex and limbic system.
   
   
3. The 4-quadrant model, or total brain model, by Ned Herrmann. It is a mixture of the previous two. It has 2 halves of the dual brain and 2 halves of the limbic system: A) upper left: analytical; B) lower left: organized, controlled; C) lower right: emotional, spiritual; D) upper right: synthetic.

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