Ontological is an adjective that defines everything that concerns the ontology, that is, it investigates the nature of reality and existence.
It is said that something is ontological when, from a philosophical point of view, it addresses issues related to being. Thus, the adjective can refer to statements, questions, characteristics, etc.
Examples:
“Knowing the nature and place of consciousness in the physical world is a fundamental ontological question…”
"It is necessary to assess the ontological character of work to understand the relationship between work and education."
The term is related to ontology, from the Greek ontos, which means "to be" and logos, which means “study”. The word designates the field of metaphysics that studies the nature of existence and reality itself, but is also used in legal philosophy and information technology.
To better understand, read more about ontology.
Ontological, Deontological and Epistemological
The terms ontological, deontological and epistemological, as they are related to branches of philosophy, are often found in the same context. So keep in mind that:
- ontological: related to ontology, the branch of philosophy that studies being.
- deontological: related to deontology, a branch of philosophy that studies the morality of actions based on imposed rules.
- epistemological: related to epistemology, a branch of philosophy that studies the relationship between belief and knowledge.
ontological argument
The “ontological argument” or “ontological proof” is the argument that ontology uses to defend the existence of God. The first and most famous ontological argument is attributed to the theologian Anselm of Canterbury, who reflected that if the idea of a God perfect is present even in the minds of people who do not believe in its existence, so God must exist in reality as well.
The ontological argument is reasoning a priori, that is, that has not been verified based on experience.
ontological philosophers
The birth of ontology took place in Ancient Greece (even though it was not yet called that way) and is confused, in part, with the birth of philosophy itself. Many scholars understand that ontological reflections have started with Parmenides in his poem “On nature and its permanence”, in which he addresses the nature of being and reality.
After Parmenides, innumerable philosophers were also concerned with the subject. Among the main ones are:
Saint Thomas Aquinas
It combined the Aristotelian philosophy with the ideals of Christianity, giving rise to the so-called “Thomism”. Among his main ontological reflections, Aquinas understood the essence of being as something that is allowed by a pure and complete God, this being the foundation of all things.
discards
Considered the first modern philosopher, Descartes concluded that the very doubt about his existence was enough to prove it, resulting in the famous phrase "I think, therefore I am."
Spinoza
Spinoza understood that God and Nature are, in fact, a single entity composed of infinites attributes and that thought and matter are the only elements in this set that are perceptible for us.
Kant
For Kant, it is impossible to access God and reality itself as it is, given that human reason employs principles based on experience. Thus, Kant understood that all phenomena are regulated by the way the mind interprets them.
Hegel
Hegel's ontology sought to rescue the idea of God as the foundation of existence, and understood that both religion and philosophy seek to reach absolute truth.
Many others
Considering that the object of ontology is often confused with the object of philosophy, many other philosophers, at some point, did observations related to the nature of existence and reality, such as Friedrich Nietzsche, John Locke, Arthur Schopenhauer, Martin Heidegger, etc.
See too:
- Ontology
- Epistemology
- Deontology
- Philosophy
- Metaphysics