In order to balance this forum out in the Taoist sort of way (and that's pronounced Dao, not Tao), I think we should discuss a bit of Eastern philosophy instead of just the Christian sect of Western thought. And at the center of Eastern thought lies one simple image, the circle of yin & yang (most commonly called the T’ai Chi Chu symbol).
The circle is a simple image, one you all know. The spinning halves in teardrop shape represent the equal forces of yin (the passive, female comsos, epitomized by the moon) and yang (the active, male cosmos, epitomized by the sun), and in the center of each, a portion of the opposite exists. This icon represents the basis of Eastern dualist philosophy, and when one studies it's meaning a lot of things can become clear. For instance, not only is the world made of equal and opposite parts of a whole, but each part contains it's opposite. This ancient idea is in my opinion not only a long way ahead of most philosophy, but shows it's truth in places most people never think to look.
For instance, the modern discovery that matter and energy are interchangable is in fact not a modern idea. Speak to a tai chi student about the fundamental concepts here (throw out the technical jargon), and you will find that it falls nicely inline with 4000 year old philosophy. In fact, the area of study which brings about most current physics theory is called "philosophy of physics", because that's where man has his best ideas.
Look to any theory pertaining to physics to find the truth in this ancient belief. Currently, the smallest well known sub-atomic particles are quarks. These come in six flavors, top and bottom, left and right, strange and charmed. Each has it's compliment, and each goes together with others to build the sub-atomic particles known as protons and electrons. Protons themselves are positively charged particles, while electrons are negatively charged. Although each has a different mass, they are still compliments of one another, posessing opposite charges. And no atom is complete without at least one of each. The particles know as neutrons (inert sub atomic particles) are themselves comprised of a proton and electron stuck together, which cancel out each other in a nice little ballet of attraction. Starting to get the picture here? In all of our Quantum Theory, one thing holds true: everything has an opposite, and these opposites go together to form larger objects with their own opposite particles. But what of the idea that yin contains yang, and the reciprocal to that also being true?
As I said before, matter and energy are interchangable. If you take a photon (a pure energy particle or wave having no mass) and split it, you get one particle of matter and one of anitmatter. Both are parts of the whole, and both are pure opposites. And interestingly enough, both have mass. And the opposite also holds true; if you combine a particle of matter with antimatter, you end up with a photon again. In all actuality, matter IS energy, and energy IS matter. They have their own distinct properties, but both are part of a whole and both contain, and can become, their opposite.
The point of all this is to illustrate how effectively philosophy can reveal truth about the world we live in. Long before there were atomic accelerators allowing us to literally see these concepts in action, people already had it right. And in my opinion, they also had ideas concerning the nature of man and the universe right. In the best of Eastern thought, there is no "God". No man with a white beard sitting in judgement upon us all, no hell or heaven to reach after death. Yes, the universe is a whole entity with a life force creating it's fabric. And yes, although each and every thing is unique, it also represents part of this whole and is inextricably bound to it. At the core, we are paintings on a huge canvas, single brush strokes in an impossibly large work of art. And while we all posess something unique that defines us, we are also a small part of this whole we interract with every moment of every day, till our death. Enlightenment is acheived only by casting aside thoughts of one's own uniqueness and importance to the whole, allowing us to view it's complete intricacy and beauty. And while this indeed may sound blasphemous (or strangely familiar) to the wayward Christian, it remains my opinion on the way things are. So please, if you have the time, share your thoughts on the subject.
Peace! :smoker2: