Homo duplex means Durkheim’s idea that human beings have a dual nature, the angel and the beast, with the beast being the stronger of the two. The first and “lower” part of that nature is the “will,” an id-like nature that is focused on the individual satisfaction of all wants and desire. The other, “higher” part is the “collective conscience,” which is social in origin. This conscience is based on a collective moral system, a reality separate from the individual that is made up of ideas and values.
Definition