Ontology is the philosophical doctrine of existence

Ontology is a philosophical study of the nature of existence, the formation of reality, the main categories of being and their mutual relations. Traditionally, it is considered a part of such a philosophical branch as metaphysics. Ontology deals with questions about what exists, and how these entities can be grouped according to a single hierarchy, are divided according to similarities and differences. In addition to the fundamental ontology that deals with the universal laws of being, there are many sub-divisions that have their subject particular phenomena (for example, ontology of culture).

The word "ontology" is made up of the Greek roots "ontos", which means "existent; What is, "and" logos, "that is, "Science, theory, research". And although it is of Greek origin, the first mention of the word occurs in texts written in Latin. In English, it appears in the dictionary of Nathaniel Bailey in 1721, where it is defined as an "abstract description of being." This, of course, confirms that at that time the word was already in use.

In analytic philosophy, ontology is a doctrine that deals with the definition of the fundamental categories of being, and also asks in what sense elements of this category can "exist". This study, aimed at being in itself, is not aimed at finding out, for example, individual properties and facts relating to certain entities.

Trying to solve the problems of ontology, some philosophers, in particular Platonists, argued that all names (including abstract nouns) refer to the real thing. Other philosophers have challenged this, suggesting that nouns do not always refer to things, but some of them imply an indication of a group of similar objects or phenomena. According to the latter, the mind, instead of pointing to existence, refers to a group of mental phenomena experienced by the personality. So, the word "society" is associated with a collective image of people possessing certain qualities, and the word "geometry" is associated with specific intellectual activity.

Between these opposites, representing realism and nominalism, there are a number of other points of view, but any ontology is a science that should give an idea of what concepts refer to reality, which are not, for what reason and what categories we have as a result. When such research involves concepts like space, time, cause, happiness, contact, energy and God, ontology becomes fundamental in relation to many philosophical branches.

Thus, ontology is a philosophical doctrine, to the fundamental questions of which the problem of being as such concerns. What is being and what can be called existing? Is it possible to divide the existent into categories, and if so, which ones? What is the meaning of being, the meaning of existence? Various thinkers throughout the history of philosophy give diverse answers to these questions, which may reflect the nature of a whole era or culture.