Ontology

In the context of this wiki, an ontology is a position on what is fundamental in the universe. (This definition is similar to that of Wikipedia.) Consequently, an "ontological claim" or "claim about ontology" is any claim that makes a statement about what is fundamental, even if it doesn't fully specify a position.

For example, the following are four (not necessarily mutually exclusive) claims about ontology:

• O1: the universe consists of particles and forces
• O2: the universe consists of a set of quantum fields
• O3: everything is consciousness/qualia
• O4: the universe is a priori unconscious, but conscious (and causally passive) stuff can arise if certain conditions are met

The concept of ontology is not restricted to disagreements about consciousness (compare O1 and O2), but disagreements about consciousness often include disagreements about ontology. That said, note that it's also possible to have major disagreements about consciousness for other reasons. For example, two people may agree that consciousness arises from a priori unconscious matter (O4) but disagree about the operations required for this process, and thus, about which animals exhibit consciousness.

For a discussion on which ontology is favored by QRI, see its philosophical views as well as the article on Dual-Aspect Monism.