Dialectics in Duality Hong Seock Lee . M . D . , Ph . D . Some people see only the trees , some the whole trees , and others see a simple pattern shared by the all the trees . once people can see the simple rule of the forest , people can listen to the music the pattern has created . Similarly , no matter how complex our mind is , there should be a simple pattern . one of the underlying rules that we have in common is dialectics in duality . once we understand it , we can also enjoy the great symphony the dialectics in duality created and can be in it truly . Dialectics in duality is everywhereThe dialectics in duality is in chemical classroom , in space , in marriage , in love , in our history and in our psyche : It is in every where . In your schooldays most of you might have experimented chemical reactions . When you put two separated chemicals - which were stable from separately - into the same tube , they begin to be unstable , to smoke , to make some noise , and to come to the boil . That is , physically separated dualistic pairs begin to reciprocal interaction between them aiming a synthesis of these chemicals in a different form . This is a ‘ dialectics in duality ’ in chemical classroom . The ‘ dialectics in duality ’ is also in mathematics - the Mobius strip . If you have a long strip , you can make two - side surface into one - side surface by joining its two ends after giving one end a 180 - degree twist . Although you were able to paint it with two different colours as you wish , but now it is not possible to paint it with two because it has only one surface . This is another ‘ dialectics in duality ’ in surface . When man and woman become one , she takes him to herself and he penetrate her . Through these participation , interpenetration , and mutual interweaving , the duality of two worlds turns into a dialectic relationship . That is , as they quarrel with each other and respect each other , they are transformed into the third person . This is also another ‘ dialectics in duality ’ in love . Relationship between duality and dialectics While duality refers to the physical or psychological separateness yet opposing each other , the dialectic is process of convergence or association of the underlying unit of these dualistic pairs . This union of opposites , independently discovered by Heraclitus and Lao - tzu , was adopted by Hegel and Engels in their dialectic logics and by Niels Bohr to explain quantum complimentarity ( Sabelli et al . , 1995 ) . Actually , dialectics is often mistakenly used interchangeably with duality . However , the relationship between dialectics and duality is very important because dialectics is only possible when the duality is successfully solidified , just like the dreams having come true is the result of dreams as a just dream . That is why dialectics is in duality . Thermodynamic characteristics of the duality and the dialectics Like this , once these dualistic elements , which were stable , independent in different space , have formed a dialectic unit by becoming mutually dependent relationship , the two - paired elements as one become unstable , sensitive , changeable and responsive . In other words , in the dual state nothing happens eventually but in the dialectical relationship something happens always . These distinctive features of them remind me of those of closed system and open system in general systems theory . To explain , according to systems view , systems are divided into closed system and open system with respect to their relation to environment . A closed system of non - living things does not have any relations with environment and eventually reach to a state of equilibrium . Thus a closed system based on reversible reactions , must eventually attain a time - independent state of maximum entropy and minimum free energy ; they are consequence of the second principle of thermodynamics . On the contrary , according to systems view , every living organism is essentially an open system having active interaction with environment . An open system exchanges a continuous input and output with environment ; it maintains itself by building up and breaking down of components ; it remains constant as a whole through continuous changes ; thus an open system maintains itself in a so - called far - from equilibrium state as long as it is alive . In short , the characteristics of closed system are not different from that of the duality and open systems are not different from that of the dialectics . If this supposition is sound , this can be formulated in different ways - when two opposed elements exist in the dual relationship , they can be viewed as a closed system , whereas the two - paired elements in dialectics are essentially an open system . Thermodynamics of the psyche on the perspectives of the dialectics in duality However , we face a fundamental difference between the open system of the general systems theory and the proposed dialectics in duality . While every living organism is essentially an open system from the perspective of systems theory , from the dialectics view , a dialectical relationship is only possible when the duality is successfully solidified . In other words , the open system and the closed system are mutually exclusive according to systems view , but the dialectics is dependent on the duality . Accordingly , we need one more supposition that a closed system and an open system coexist and codependent , like a duality and a dialectic . Detailed explanations for this supposition will be omitted here . If we are forced to choose one between two types of psychic energy generating system , people who prefer absolutely stable and conflict - free but unchanging life style will choose the closed duality and non - living things ’ closed system . Meanwhile , others who love to be dynamic but unstable will choose the opened dialectics and living organism ’ s open system . However , the former system could not generate psychic energy such as wishes , desires , needs , dreams and vitality . Also , the latter could not refrigerate the over heated engine and eventually the system will be exploded . This means that we might need a system having two modes of systems at the same time - we should do back and forth interplay between the cooling and fueling system ( Closed system of duality ) and the firing and propelling system ( Open system of dialectics ) . Energy system of duality and dialectics ( 1 ) Duality as a subsystem As previously mentioned , an element could not make any dialectics but only the two - paired elements can induce the dialectic or reciprocal interaction . Therefore , in order to generate psychic energy from the open system of dialectics by placing the opposite pairs into one chamber , the psychic ’ s closed system of duality dissociates and separates a nature into two different natures in our mind . For this , consciously and unconsciously our mind categorizes and dissects things into smaller pieces , gives sharp limits between things , and drives things apart . As a result of all these works , mind ’ s experiences , memories , emotions and meanings become dually separated into good vs . bad , happy vs . sad , anger vs . peace , love vs . hate , possible vs . impossible , dream vs . despair , infinity and finite , and so on . For instance , Kierkegaard ( 1954 ) noted that people ’ s experiences tend to fall between two potentially endless extremes - the finitized and the infinitized . Cochran ( 1990 ) indicated that in terms of self , the opposing pole constitutes of “ what is ” and “ what ought to be . Also , Jung ’ s anima and animus , persona and shadow , and Freud ’ s death instinct and death fear can be examples for duality . What the difference these dualities have is the observer ’ s position . In short , our mind has a subsystem , which can separate the new input from environment and accumulated memories into two extremes . You may call this process as splitting , dissociation , divergence , classification , categorization , symbolization , defining , naming and so on . These dualities produced by the psychic ’ s closed system of duality provide fuel for the firing engine , the dialectics . Unless the experiences , memories and meanings are not divided into two opposing poles , it becomes just a neutral stimuli , which can not be used as energy resources and will be cleaned up from our mind during we sleep . ( 2 ) Dialectics as a subsystem . As a next step , these two - paired elements in dual state need to be placed together . This process is carried by the opened dialectics through reciprocal interaction . By the interaction , then , a building up and breaking down of the elements occur in a state of far - from equilibrium . On the contrary , this far - from equilibrium , the state of maximized free energy and minimized entropy , gives rise to negative affect such as arousal of tension , discomfort , conflict , confusion , neurotic phenomena , anxiety , and so on as well as vitality , hope , confidence , well - being , and so on . These bifurcated results are due to individual difference in response to the co - presence of the opposing components . To explain , there are two types of reaction against this paradoxical condition . one is acceptance type and the other is repression type . The former type requires endurance for tensions and willingness to be open to the paradoxical conditions , while the latter type tries to repress the tension and attempts to reduce the level of dialectics by dissociating the two - paired unit . In short , our psyche can choose whether it will continue the dialectics or not . When the negative affect is so enormous to deal with it , psyche turns off the opened dialectic system by dissociating and diverging the dialectic unit . on the contrary , if it can tolerate the negative affect , it continues the system to generate psychic energy and synthesize a higher order phenomena . ( 3 ) Endless coming and going between the two subsystems The closed duality system plays a role as a cooling and fueling system . This is essential to maintain stability of the psyche by preventing the explosion and exhaustion . Meanwhile , the opened dialectic system is also essential to give vitality into the psyche by generating the energy . Therefore , the relationship between both systems is that of rest and working out , day and night , and the sun and the earth . In other words , we should repeat endless ‘ coming and going ’ between them as long as our psyche is alive because this is the only way to keep producing the psychic energy without fatal damage from overload . In this sense , “ repetition is the source of our life ” .