I don't know how you're seeing divine knowledge as a component of dualism. How does that work? — frank

I don't see it necessarily as an aspect of dualism, that was the point I was trying to make. Pre-socrates I think it was mostly a matter of a wider or better perspective on the same world. The Gods had a birds-eye perspective and humans merely a frogs-perspective or some such, less complete and more flawed. The difference is merely one of scale on the same continuum, not a real dualism which assumes another transcendental world (a real difference in kind).

I think the dualism came from Plato and Socrates (who probably had their inspirations too no doubt), where an emphasis is put on reason, that is consciously thinking things through logically in non-metaphorical literal concepts, in universals (i.e. dialectics). To me that seems to be the way you get to the idea of an immaterial, eternal and transcendental realm, because universals are a-temporal and immaterial.

To me that seems to be the way you get to the idea of an immaterial, eternal and transcendental realm, because universals are a-temporal and immaterial. — ChatteringMonkey

:up:

But we are animals with all the animal passions present therein. These days we value and wonder at the diverse creatures in our ecosystem, we don’t condemn them as selfish beasts anymore, we revere them. So where we used to contrast the sin inherent in beastly creatures with our lofty moral superiority, or benevolence. We now accept that we are not in a superior position, but in a position of responsibility. Our sin is not anymore selfish, evil, or destructive. But a failure to take our responsibility seriously.

Flesh is not any more a curse of the fallen, but a means of accessing, studying and protecting physical ecosystems. So in a sense, we are God’s eyes observing and delighting in the creation. But also studying it, developing medicine and technologies which can be harnessed to enrich the ecosystem and bring about (eventually) a heaven on earth through advanced technologies.

The fight between good and evil, is now the fight between accepting and actively taking these responsibilities and squandering, or corrupting the opportunity we have to take this responsibility. An opportunity which is our and solely our, birthright.