Manichean
Starkly black-white thinking
Manichean describes a worldview that divides everything into absolute good and evil, light and darkness, with no middle ground.
The term comes from Manichaeism, an ancient Persian religion founded by Mani that taught the universe was a battleground between opposing spiritual forces.
Today it's used critically for simplistic moral thinking: His Manichean view of politics left no room for compromise.
Also spelled Manichaean.
Consisting of two parts
- dichotomyDivision into contrasting parts
- polarityState of opposing forces
- oppositesTerms with contrary meanings
- dualityTwofold nature
light · darkness · good · evil · cosmic · struggle · antagonism · worldview
Salvation through hidden wisdom
- ZoroastrianismAncient dualistic Persian religion
- heresyBelief opposing official doctrine
- doctrineEstablished body of teachings
- sectBreakaway religious faction
ancient · Persia · cosmology · eschatology · syncretism · elect · Augustine · Persian
Core ethical dichotomy
- virtueMoral goodness or merit
- viceBad habit or deputy
- righteousnessMoral correctness or virtue
- wickednessMoral corruption or evil
purity · corruption · saints · sinners · morality · ethics · judgment · condemnation
binary
Consisting of two parts
- dichotomyDivision into contrasting parts
- polarityState of opposing forces
- oppositesTerms with contrary meanings
duality · light · darkness · good · evil · cosmic · struggle · antagonism · worldview · absolutism
Gnosticism
Salvation through hidden wisdom
- ZoroastrianismAncient dualistic Persian religion
- heresyBelief opposing official doctrine
- doctrineEstablished body of teachings
sect · ancient · Persia · cosmology · eschatology · syncretism · elect · Augustine · Persian · prophet
good vs evil
Core ethical dichotomy
- virtueMoral goodness or merit
- viceBad habit or deputy
- righteousnessMoral correctness or virtue
wickedness · purity · corruption · saints · sinners · morality · ethics · judgment · condemnation · sanctimony
Manicheannuanced
Having fine distinctions
gray · ambivalent · relativistic · shades of gray · graduated
Manicheanagnostic
Flexible across platforms
skeptical · uncertain · probabilistic · empirical · pragmatic
Manicheanmonistic
Of single-principle belief
unified · holistic · syncretic · integrative · pantheistic