Given a field $K$ of characteristic $0$. It seems to me that every finite-dimensional polynomial representation of $\mathrm{SL}_2\left(K\right)$ is self-dual (i. e., isomorphic to its dual). In fact, every representation of $\mathrm{SL}_2\left(K\right)$ is a direct sum of irreducible representations (since $\mathrm{SL}_2\left(K\right)$ is semisimple), and the irreducible representations are the canonical representations on $K\left[x,y\right]_n$ which are known to be self-dual. But is there a simpler proof without subdividing into irreducibles?

Given a field $K$ of characteristic $0$. It seems to me that every finite-dimensional representation of $\mathrm{SL}_2\left(K\right)$ is self-dual (i. e., isomorphic to its dual). In fact, every representation of $\mathrm{SL}_2\left(K\right)$ is a direct sum of irreducible representations (since $\mathrm{SL}_2\left(K\right)$ is semisimple), and the irreducible representations are the canonical representations on $K\left[x,y\right]_n$ which are known to be self-dual. But is there a simpler proof without subdividing into irreducibles? And maybe even a canonical - up to multiplication with a scalar - choice for the isomorphism $V\to V^{\ast}$?

Given a field $K$ of characteristic $0$. It seems to me that every representation of $\mathrm{SL}_2\left(K\right)$ is self-dual (i. e., isomorphic to its dual). In fact, every representation of $\mathrm{SL}_2\left(K\right)$ is a direct sum of irreducible representations (since $\mathrm{SL}_2\left(K\right)$ is semisimple), and the irreducible representations are the canonical representations on $K\left[x,y\right]_n$ which are known to be self-dual. But is there a simpler proof without subdividing into irreducibles? And maybe even a canonical - up to multiplication with a scalar - choice for the isomorphism $V\to V^{\ast}$?

Given a field $K$ (infinite, in case something evil happens). of characteristic $0$. It seems to me that every representation of $\mathrm{SL}_2\left(K\right)$ is self-dual (i. e., isomorphic to its dual). In fact, every representation of $\mathrm{SL}_2\left(K\right)$ is a direct sum of irreducible representations (since $\mathrm{SL}_2\left(K\right)$ is semisimple), and the irreducible representations are the canonical representations on $K\left[x,y\right]_n$ which are known to be self-dual. But is there a simpler proof without subdividing into irreducibles? And maybe even a canonical choice for the isomorphism $V\to V^{\ast}$?

Given a field $K$ (infinite, in case something evil happens). It seems to me that every representation of $\mathrm{SL}_2\left(K\right)$ is self-dual (i. e., isomorphic to its dual). In fact, every representation of $\mathrm{SL}_2\left(K\right)$ is a direct sum of irreducible representations (since $\mathrm{SL}_2\left(K\right)$ is semisimple), and the irreducible representations are the canonical representations on $K\left[x,y\right]_n$ which are known to be self-dual. But is there a simpler proof without subdividing into irreducibles? And maybe even a canonical choice for the isomorphism $V\to V^{\ast}$?