It’s worth noting that ontology is used in at least two distinct ways.
One way is the casual usage as the set of objects and/or properties in your mental map: for example, chair, red, fast, ect.
Another way comes out of philosophy and is an attempt to choose some fundamental objects and/or properties in terms of which others are described. For example, chairs are really molecules, which are really atoms, which are really in a quantum wave function. When talking about things being fast, well that’s really defined in terms of space and time and reference frames, ect.
(Of course, it is possible to challenge the notion of some objects being more “fundamental than others”)
Oh, interesting. So with the more formal/philosophical meaning, there’s only one ontology, not many, and the goal is to figure out what that ontology looks like? Ie. what the most fundamental building blocks of the universe are?
So with the more formal/philosophical meaning, there’s only one ontology, not many, and the goal is to figure out what that ontology looks like?
Not necessarily. Philosophers can debate whether there is such a thing as an ontology and whether it is unique and whether it is subjective. Basically everything that can be debated in philosophy is debated.
It’s worth noting that ontology is used in at least two distinct ways.
One way is the casual usage as the set of objects and/or properties in your mental map: for example, chair, red, fast, ect.
Another way comes out of philosophy and is an attempt to choose some fundamental objects and/or properties in terms of which others are described. For example, chairs are really molecules, which are really atoms, which are really in a quantum wave function. When talking about things being fast, well that’s really defined in terms of space and time and reference frames, ect.
(Of course, it is possible to challenge the notion of some objects being more “fundamental than others”)
Oh, interesting. So with the more formal/philosophical meaning, there’s only one ontology, not many, and the goal is to figure out what that ontology looks like? Ie. what the most fundamental building blocks of the universe are?
Not necessarily. Philosophers can debate whether there is such a thing as an ontology and whether it is unique and whether it is subjective. Basically everything that can be debated in philosophy is debated.