Metaphysics & Ontology
Metaphysics explores reality beyond the physical, asking fundamental "why" questions that physics can't answer such as the nature of existence, causality, time, and identity. Ontology, a branch of metaphysics, focuses on categorizing what exists, creating a building-block framework for understanding broader metaphysical concepts. Both are valuable for expanding understanding, challenging assumptions, and informing other disciplines making it essential to understanding the world beyond what can be observed. Ontology is a central branch within metaphysics. Think of metaphysics as the broad field of study concerning fundamental questions about reality, and ontology as a key sub-area focusing specifically on what kinds of things exist. Here's how ontology comes into the picture: Metaphysics asks the big questions: What is being? What is real? What is the nature of existence? Ontology provides the catalog: Ontology tries to classify and categorize all ...