Ontology
(or Metaphysics)
What exists?
What is?
What’s real?
…ology = the study of
• Onto-logia
That which is…the study of (Ontology)
• Episteme-logia
Knowledge…the study of (Epistemology)
• Theo-logia
God…the study of (Theology)
• Bios-logia
Life…the study of (Biology)
• Kinesis-logia
Movement…the study of (Kinesiology)
• Ideo-logie
Ideas…the study of (Ideology)
• Anthropos-logia
Humanity…the study of (Anthropology)
What really exists?
Is this…
A silly question
because the answers
are so obvious!
A practical question
because the answers
have rather
important
implications!
Let’s keep in mind that…
 Arguments and fights
 Lawsuits
Errors and disagreements  Wars
 Oppression and
about the nature of
destruction of whole
reality have, do, and
cultures
will continue to result
 Huge wastes of time,
in ---------------------money, and energy
 Mental illness
Obeying God
John 14:15 If ye love me,
keep my commandments.
21 He that hath my
commandments, and
keepeth them, he it is that
loveth me
24 He that loveth me not
keepeth not my sayings
Love thy neighbor…
Loving the neighbor also involves
serving their needs and providing
for their good. Every time we do
our job or our daily tasks with
thoughtfulness and care we are
loving our neighbor because we are
providing for their needs in one
way or another. Everything we do
that is of some benefit to another
person or that gives another person
happiness and joy is loving our
neighbor.
Obeying God
John 14:15 If ye love me,
keep my commandments.
Isreal…the Holy Land,
the Promised Land
21 He that hath my
commandments, and
keepeth them, he it is that
loveth me
The Jewish religious belief that the
area is a God-given inheritance of the
Jewish people is based on the Torah,
especially the books of Genesis and
Exodus, as well as the Prophets.
According to the Book of Genesis,
the land was promised by God to the
descendants of Abraham through his
son Isaac and to the Israelites,
descendants of Jacob, Abraham's
grandson.
24 He that loveth me not
keepeth not my sayings:
Obeying God
John 14:15 If ye love me,
keep my commandments.
21 He that hath my
commandments, and
keepeth them, he it is that
loveth me
24 He that loveth me not
keepeth not my sayings:
God told me to kill my
wife and kids!
Warm up exercise
What’s This?
Warm up exercise
Is this real?
Warm up exercise
Is this real?
Miwok or Ohlone
Indian sacred
burial site at the
Hidden Oaks
subdivision in
Lafayette, CA
Ontology is…
the study of the nature of being, existence or
reality as such, as well as the basic
categories of being and their relations.
A Challenging Ontological Exercise
Creating Categories of Like Things
trees
black holes
love
desks
language
cells
ideas
ghosts
dreams
sin
Jesus Christ
sound waves
a web site
fear
memories
fun
germs
evil spirits
yesterday
gods
death
the mind
dog souls
gravity
electromagnetic fields
computer software
free will
evil
magic
hearts
your grandmother's mother
enlightenment
fantasies
sounds
grace
brains
auras
smells
pencils
consciousness
grass
Cesar Chavez
fetuses
pictures
telepathy
a coatrack
team spirit
morality
hate
personalities
justice
karma
I
earth
God
redness
a dog
attitudes
angels
Virgin of Guadalupe
astrology
the Vietnam War
reincarnation
Professor Larkin
atoms
100 miles
human souls
curiosity
race
north
depression
anger
heaven and/or hell
corn
the universe
One Ontological Category Scheme
A.
Physical Objects (a house, a tree)
B.
Minds (thoughts, emotions, memories, imaginations)
C.
Classes (set of all planets, set of all females)
D.
Properties (redness, heaviness, stickiness)
E.
Relations (sitting on, taller than, next to)
F.
Space and Time (far away, long ago, soon, yesterday, east)
G.
Propositions (snow is white, philosophy is fun)
H.
Events (Maria acted in the play)
For Discussion
A Simplified Ontological Scheme
Natural
Mental
Spiritual
tree
ideas
deceased ancestors
house
emotions
gods
planet
memories
ghosts
cell
perceptions
auras
sound wave
language
magic
electron
imaginations
karma
hydrogen sulfide
dreams
soul
human body
morals
enlightenment
gravity
attitudes
evil spirits
etc.
etc.
etc.
Natural
Mental
Spiritual
The field of philosophy offers many different
theories or points of view on the nature of
these categories of reality, and on the
relationships between them.
Some versions of
Materialism or Naturalism
• Some philosophies believe that only
physical objects or matter and energy are
real; that even mental creations are simply
detectable and measurable changes in the
brain and body; and, that spiritual things are
merely another type of construction by the
mind.
Physical Matter and Energy
Materialism or Naturalism
Materialism or Naturalism
Love
A Poetic Mystery
A Simple Chemical Reaction
Some versions of
Idealism
• Some philosophies believe that all reality
exists only in our minds; the material and
spiritual worlds have no objective or
independent existence or reality beyond our
mental ideas, feelings, or images about
them.
Mental Constructs
Idealism
Idealism: Plato’s Cave
Wilma learns about Idealism
by Joel Cosson
Some versions of
Spiritualism
• Some philosophies believe physical,
mental, and spiritual things are all very real;
but, they do not exist in separate categories;
rather, they are interactive elements within a
single integrated reality.
Physical
Mental
Spiritual
Spiritual: Religion
Spiritual: Holistic Health
Spiritual: New Age
meditation channeling
crystal healing astral projection
psychic experience
holistic health simple living
environmentalism
earth mysteries ancient astronauts
extraterrestrial life
unidentified flying objects
crop circles reincarnation
seances mediums
etc. etc.
Some versions of
Skepticism
• Some philosophies believe that we cannot
know what exists or is real; our primary
means of knowing (senses, minds, hearts)
are simply too deceptive, too confused, and
too unreliable to allow for any certainty
about existence or reality.
?
?
?
?
?
Skepticism
Some versions of
Social Constructionism
• Some philosophies believe that, in the final
analysis, what really exists is whatever the
most influential and powerful groups in
society say really exists.
Social Constructs
Are These
Social Constructs?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Gender Roles?
Race?
California Mission History?
Evolution?
Global Warming?
Islamic Extremism
Some versions of
Existentialism
• Some philosophies believe that the issue of
ultimate existence is irrelevant; all that
really matters is what each person believes
exists, and how those beliefs affect his or
her personal life.
Personal Construction
Existentialism
So, is Existence or Reality…
• Only Physical Matter? (Materialism)
• All Mental Constructs? (Idealism)
• An Integrated Physical/Mental/Spiritual Whole? (Spiritualism)
• Unknowable? (Skepticism)
• Defined by Each Society’s Elite? (Social Constructionism)
• Whatever Each Individual Thinks It Is? (Existentialism)
• Something Else Entirely?