Editing Ontology (section)

== Definition ==
Ontology is the study of being. It is the branch of [[philosophy]] that investigates the nature of [[existence]], the features all entities have in common, and how they are divided into basic [[categories of being]].<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Lowe|2005|p=[https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780199264797.001.0001/acref-9780199264797-e-1806 671]}} | {{harvnb|Campbell|2006|pp=21–22}} | {{harvnb|Craig|1998|loc=Lead Section}} }}</ref> It aims to discover the foundational building blocks of the world and characterize [[reality]] as a whole in its most general aspects.{{efn|This focus on general principles rather than specific entities is traditionally expressed in the characterization of ontology as the science of ''being qua being'' or ''being insofar as it is being''.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Berto|Plebani|2015|p=1}} | {{harvnb|Shields|2014|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=A_pwEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA279 279–282]}} }}</ref>}} In this regard, ontology contrasts with individual sciences like [[biology]] and [[astronomy]], which restrict themselves to a limited domain of entities, such as living entities and celestial phenomena.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Berto|Plebani|2015|pp=1–3}} | {{harvnb|Campbell|2006|pp=21–22}} | {{harvnb|Effingham|2013|loc=§ The Basics: Ontology}} }}</ref> In some contexts, the term ''ontology'' refers not to the general study of being but to a specific ontological theory within this discipline. It can also mean an inventory or a [[conceptual scheme]] of a particular domain, such as [[Gene ontology|the ontology of genes]].<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Simons|2009|pp=469–470}} | {{harvnb|Merriam-Webster|2024}} | {{harvnb|Campbell|2006|pp=21–22}} | {{harvnb|Haritha|Priyatharshini|Abishek|Kiran|2018|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=LcpmDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA489 489]}} }}</ref> In this context, an inventory is a comprehensive list of elements.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Lowe|2006|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=s7ISDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA195 195]}} | {{harvnb|Tambassi|2017|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=dtYtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA6 6]}} }}</ref> A conceptual scheme is a framework of the key concepts and their relationships.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Sankey|2018|loc=§ 1.7 Conceptual relativism}} | {{harvnb|Grove|Short|1991|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=bLDsgZq849gC&pg=PA211 211]}} }}</ref>

Ontology is closely related to [[metaphysics]] but the exact relation of these two disciplines is disputed. A traditionally influential characterization asserts that ontology is a subdiscipline of metaphysics. According to this view, metaphysics is the study of various aspects of fundamental reality, whereas ontology restricts itself to the most general features of reality.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Berto|Plebani|2015|pp=3–4}} | {{harvnb|Lowe|2005|p=[https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780199264797.001.0001/acref-9780199264797-e-1806 671]}} }}</ref> This view sees ontology as general metaphysics, which is to be distinguished from special metaphysics focused on more specific subject matters, like [[God]], [[mind]], and [[Value (ethics and social sciences)|value]].<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Van Inwagen|Sullivan|Bernstein|2023|loc=§ 1. The Word 'Metaphysics' and the Concept of Metaphysics}} | {{harvnb|Craig|1998a|loc=§ 2. Specific Metaphysics}} }}</ref> A different conception understands ontology as a preliminary discipline that provides a complete inventory of reality while metaphysics examines the features and structure of the entities in this inventory.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Berto|Plebani|2015|pp=4–5}} | {{harvnb|Tambassi|2022|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=JkCdEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA79 79]}} }}</ref> Another conception says that metaphysics is about real being while ontology examines possible being or the concept of being.<ref>{{harvnb|Jaroszyński|2018|p=6}}</ref> It is not universally accepted that there is a clear boundary between metaphysics and ontology. Some philosophers use both terms as synonyms.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Berto|Plebani|2015|pp=3, 5}} | {{harvnb|Mulligan|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=oLfwCAAAQBAJ&pg=PR10 x]}} }}</ref>

The etymology of the word ''ontology'' traces back to the [[ancient Greek]] terms {{lang|grc|ὄντως}} ({{Lang|grc-latn|ontos}}, meaning {{Gloss|being}}) and {{lang|grc|λογία}} ({{Lang|grc-latn|logia}}, meaning {{Gloss|study of}}), literally, {{Gloss|the study of being}}. The ancient Greeks did not use the term ''ontology'', which was coined by philosophers in the 17th century.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Berto|Plebani|2015|p=1}} | {{harvnb|Taliaferro|Marty|2018|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=_5ZBDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA203 203]}} | {{harvnb|Hoad|1993|p=323}} }}</ref>