Ontology
In the context of this wiki, an ontology is a position on what is fundamental in the universe. (This definition is somewhat nonstandard and more narrow than that of of Wikipedia[1] and the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP);[2] it is specifically about what SEP calls a complete minimal basis.[3]) 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.
References
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors. (2024, August 6). Ontology. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:30, August 7, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ontology&oldid=1238911139
- ↑ Hofweber, Thomas, "Logic and Ontology", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2023 Edition), Edward N. Zalta & Uri Nodelman (eds.), URL = <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2023/entries/logic-ontology/>.
- ↑ Tahko, Tuomas E., "Fundamentality", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2023 Edition), Edward N. Zalta & Uri Nodelman (eds.), URL = <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2023/entries/fundamentality/>.