Ontology, Epistemology And Methodology

Ontological argument is an argument that is not based on inspection of the universe, but rather on rationality alone. This type of argument reasons from the study of being or existence (ontology).

The ontological argument was an argument created by Saint Anselm. Anselm argued that if we thought about what God is and what he can do then we know he must exist. What Anselm means by this is that if our minds can think of something so great like God, we should realize that an all-powerful God must exist in reality. Anselm states that God is, “that than which nothing greater can be conceived.” This quote means if we can comprehend who God is, then there has to be a more powerful God than in our minds, in reality because if God is such a perfect being, then this implies that he must be by definition as well.

The four main branches of philosophy are epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and logic. I will explore epistemology, the study of knowledge. The study of epistemology tries to define knowledge; identify the source of knowledge; the process of acquiring knowledge, and measures the limits of knowledge. Epistemology has intrigued philosophers since the Pre-Socratic era. In the 17th century, a fresh revolutionary outlook known as the Age of Enlightenment many new theories of epistemology began to emerge.

Different philosophers have different ontologies, for instance some philosophers, such as Locke, believe that objects have primary and secondary qualities and that those objects exist independent of our mind and are composed of a substance that they call “matter”. Berkeley’s “subjective idealist” ontology, which may seem unreasonable to most at first, is strong enough to counter most objections. The main thesis of this essay will be presenting Berkeley’s ontology and what he argues for, explaining his claims and conclusion, followed by an objection and a reply for Berkeley to the objection.

For nearly a thousand years, the ontological argument has captured the attention of philosophers. The ontological argument was revolutionary in its sequence from thought to reality. It was an argument that did not require any corresponding experiment in reality; it functioned without the necessity of empirical data. Despite flaws and problems found in some ontological arguments and the objections raised to those arguments, ontological arguments still provide a phenomenal vehicle for ontological discussion through St. Anselm’s original ideas and argument, objections raised, and revisions of previous arguments. The ontological argument still intrigues philosophers despite potential objections and flaws

Object-oriented ontology is a Heidegger-influenced idea of thought that rejects the privileging of human existence over the existence of nonhuman objects. Object-oriented ontology maintains that objects exist independently

Knowledge: It is information that has been synthesized so that relations and interactions are defined and formalized; Knowledge answers questions of “why” or “how”. It explores options.

Ontology is the question of the nature of the reality. It deals with what exists, and what the reality of the situation is currently, recognizing that reality can and will change. It assists in defining the views and assumptions of the researcher (Kramer-Kile, 2012).

The Ontological argument is an a priori deductive argument. That is, an argument relating to being, that is independent of prior knowledge of the subject and with a conclusion you must accept IF one accepts the preceding premises. St. Anselm of Canterbury presents the Ontological

Qualitative Research- concept of valuable ideas that are supportive in planning the research regarding their own personal experiences.

Orthodoxy finds the way beyond dualism and monism in relations of God and the world. It is panentheism which is described as inseparability of transcendent God and immanent world without loosing of infinite distance between them. In sum, Orthodox way of constructing ontology is not dialectical contradiction between God and the world as well as tension between Being and beings, but non-dialectical mediation of identity and

In my worldview, I say that there are different names and labels we use to structure or construct our own reality. Therefore, I take a nominalist stance when it comes to ontology. We all have our own understanding of reality and we all interpret the world around us in different ways. People may experience the same thing, but feel differently towards it. Everything that happens has multiple and intersubjective meanings.

The Ontological approach was developed by Saint Anselm, according to the lecture,“ This proof is based upon the following reasoning: I can imagine a perfect being. Perfection and non-existence are logically inconsistent ideas, because failing to exist is an imperfection.” (South University Online). Basically this approach is said that merely existing is the necessary result of perfection. If we can simply exist then, there must be a divine, perfect being that has always and also exists as well however, afterwards, philosopher Immanuel Kant argued that simply because there is the thought that existence is perfect, does not give us proof or enough information to say that in fact, there is a divine being, Kant felt that it was all a simple thought and provided no natural proof of any

Ontology is the study of what there is and is a theory about the types of entities there are

Ontology is the science of being; therefore ontological security is the security of being, the maintenance of identity and the self. This would cause anxiety and result in the withdrawal from certain experiences or activities to maintain the ontology.