The Primacy of the Dual Over the Identical: The Dao-Er Framework and a New Ontological Order

Western and Chinese metaphysics have long been trapped in the monistic logic of "the One generating the many," facing intractable problems such as the paradox of origin, explanatory circularity, and systemic closure. This paper proposes the Dao-Er (Twofold Dao) philosophy, a new ontological framework that establishes the primacy of the dual over the identical and the twofold prior to the absolute One. Rooted in the Chinese tradition of yin-yang duality, the system constructs its foundations through open self-reference, enabling self-grounding, self-critique, and perpetual renewal. It posits a transcendent ground beyond the Dao itself, and articulates a threefold structure of the True-One, True-Two, and Triad, which unifies cosmic existence, biological life, and the evolution of intelligence, including artificial intelligence and autonomous systems.