Ethical dualism or, as theorized by Descartes, between thought and extension. Ethical dualism on the other hand highlights the moral dimension instead or in addition to the metaphysical one, and envisions an inherent situation of conflict between two antagonistic forces, like light and darkness, Good and Evil. One of the most known and clear-cut interpretations of ethical dualism is the one conceptualized by Zoroastrianism, the ancient Persian religion, which bases its thought on the figure of the prophet Zoroaster (or Zarathustra), who claimed the existence of two original and contrasting principles, Ahura Mazda and Ahriman, respectively representing the forces of Good and
Zoroaster name derive from the Middle Iranian variants of "Zarϑošt", which, in turn, all reflect Avestan's fricative "-ϑ-". In Middle Persian, the name is 𐭦𐭫𐭲𐭥𐭱𐭲 "Zardu(x)št", in Parthian "Zarhušt", in Manichaean Middle Persian "Zrdrwšt", in Early New Persian "Zardušt", and in modern (New Persian), the name is زرتشت "Zartosht". There is no consensus on the dating of Zoroaster, the Avesta gives no direct information about it, while historical sources are conflicting. Some scholars base their date reconstruction on the Proto-Indo-Iranian language and Proto-Indo-Iranian religion, and thus it is considered to have been some place in northeastern Iran and some time between