What is Ontology?
Ontology (from Greek ὄν — “being” + λόγος — “study”) is the study of what lies at the foundation of existence, the nature of all that is. Simply put, ontology answers questions like: What exists? What is real? What is the world made of?
Every philosophical school or scientific paradigm has its own ontology:
For example, materialists believe that everything consists of matter;
idealists say everything is spirit or consciousness;
Pythagoreans see number as the foundation of the world.
Ontology is the “skeleton” of any worldview — its “map of being.” Often, people take their ontology for granted, never questioning it, as if it were the only possibility.
Becoming aware of your own ontology is the first step to conscious thinking. If you don’t notice it, you risk falling into dogmatism and reductionism.