Assignment on 2-2
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
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
Isreal…the Holy Land, the
Promised Land
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.
Obeying God
Gain martyrdom by
slaying infidels who
attack Muslims
Warm up exercise
What’s This?
Warm up exercise
Is this real?
Auras & Chakras
Warm up exercise
Is this real?
Miwok or Ohlone
Indian sacred
burial site in
Lafayette, CA
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
Just 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 Republicans)
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)
A Challenging Ontological Exercise
Creating Categories of Like Things
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
Physical Objects
Minds
Classes
Properties
Relations
Space and Time
Propositions
Events
Spirits
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
For Discussion
A Simplified Ontological Scheme
Material
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.
Material
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.
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
What is Love?
Central dopamine pathways mediate partner
preference behavior, while vasopressin in the
ventral pallidum and oxytocin in the nucleus
accumbens and paraventricular hypothalamic
nucleus mediate partner preference and
attachment behaviors.[8][11] Sex drive is
modulated primarily by activity in the
mesolimbic dopamine pathway (ventral
tegmental area and nucleus accumbens).[8]
Trace amines (e.g., phenethylamine and
tyramine) play a critical role in regulating
dopaminergic activity in the central nervous
system, and consequently in these pathways.[12]
Testosterone and estrogen contribute to these
drives by modulating activity within dopamine
pathways.[8] Adequate brain levels of
testosterone seem important for both human
male and female sexual behavior.[13]
Norepinephrine and serotonin have a less
significant, contributing role through their
neuromodulatory effects upon dopamine and
oxytocin release in certain pathways.
A Simple Chemical Reaction?
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
Spiritualism
• Some philosophies believe material,
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.
Material
Mental
Spiritual
Spiritual: Religion
Spiritual: Holistic Health
Spiritual: New Age
~meditation ~channeling
~crystal healing ~astral projection
~psychic experience
~holistic health ~simple living
~environmentalism
~extraterrestrial life
~unidentified flying objects
~crop circles ~ reincarnation
~seances ~mediums
~chanting ~singing bowls
etc. etc.
Spiritualism
Supernatural
forces, beings,
and places are
real, and they are
interactive with
humans.
• They are not material
things that can be
measured or weighed.
• They are not created
by our minds nor
dependent on our
minds to exist.
Skepticism
• Some philosophies doubt that we can 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
Skepticism is a response to:
• Endless disagreements on the most
basic ideas by very ‘smart’ people.
• The obvious fact that our brains, our
senses, and our hearts so often
deceive us.
The problems with Skepticism:
• Skeptics can’t really make a
statement without contradicting
themselves.
• Skepticism makes it very difficult to
live an ordinary life.
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
• This philosphy is not too interested in systematic and
abstract schools of philosophy.
• Rational thought, moral values, or empirical evidence
don’t count for much when it comes to making
fundamental decisions concerning one's existence.
• Existentialism is primarily focused on the individual’s real
and messy struggle to find personal meaning in a largely
chaotic and absurd world.
• People: Kierkegaard, Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus,
Simon de Beauvoir, Friedrich Nietzsche, Franz Kafka
Existentialism
The Challenge to Existentialism
• If everyone is able to define their own
reality, social order and social security
would be impossible.
So, is Existence or Reality…
• Only Physical Matter? (Materialism)
• All Mental Constructs? (Idealism)
• An Integrated Physical/Mental/Spiritual Whole? (Spiritualism)
• Unknowable? (Skepticism)
• Whatever Each Individual Thinks It Is? (Existentialism)
• Something Else Entirely?