Ontology - a philosophical doctrine of the essence

Ontology - a philosophical inquiry into the nature of existence, becoming a reality, the basic categories of being and their relationship.Traditionally considered a part of this industry as a philosophical metaphysics.Ontology deals with issues that exist, and how these entities can be grouped according to a common hierarchy, divided according to similarities and differences.In addition to the fundamental ontology dedicated to the universal laws of life, there are many sub-sections having as its object the private events (for example, the ontology of culture).

word "ontology" is composed of the Greek roots "Ontos", which means "things;what it is "and" logos ", ie"Science, theory, study."And although it is of Greek origin, the first mention of the word occurs in the text written in Latin.In English, it appears in the dictionary Nathaniel Bailey in 1721, which is defined as "an abstract description of existence."This, of course, confirms that at the time the word has been in use.

in analytic philosophy ontology - the doctrine that deals with the definition of the fundamental categories of being and asks in what sense the elements of this type can "exist".This study is aimed at being alone, having no purpose to find out, for example, the individual properties and the facts relating to certain entities.

Trying to solve the problem of ontology, some philosophers, especially Platonists, maintained that all items (including abstract nouns) refer to real-life.Other philosophers challenged this, putting forward the view that nouns do not always relate to beings, but some of them imply a reference to a group of similar objects or phenomena.According to the latest, the mind, rather than to point to things, refers to a group of mental phenomena, experienced person.So, the word "society" is associated with the collective image of people with certain qualities, and the word "geometry" is associated with a specific intellectual activity.

between these opposites, representing realism and nominalism, there are several other points of view, but any ontology - is a science, which should give an idea of ​​what the concepts refer to reality, what - no, for what reason and whatcategory, we have as a result.When such research involves concepts like space, time, reason, happiness, contact, energy and God, ontology becomes fundamental in relation to many philosophical branches.

Thus, an ontology - a philosophical doctrine to issues of principle which is the problem of being as such.What is being and what can be called the existing?Can I divide things into categories, and if so, what?What is the meaning of life, the meaning of existence?Various thinkers throughout the history of philosophy give different answers to these questions, which may reflect the nature of an era or culture.