Difference Between Ontology and Epistemology

The main difference between ontology and epistemology is that ontology is associated with the nature of reality whereas epistemology is associated with the general basis of the nature of reality, including the different methods of gaining knowledge…

Ontology versus epistemology

Ontology is generally associated with truth or reality and the nature of reality; on the other hand, epistemology is generally associated with the nature of acquiring knowledge and with many different methods of acquiring knowledge.

In ontology, these kinds of questions are usually asked, such as “What is existence?” or “What is the purpose of existence?”; on the contrary, in epistemology, these kinds of questions are usually asked, such as “What do you know?” or “How do you know?”

Ontology asks what things, behaviors, and relationships exist precisely and generally do exist; on the other hand, epistemology asks how and why things happen and asks frankly. There are opposing ideas present as ontology says “this is that”, but epistemology answers “how can you be so sure of what it is if you don’t even know what it is?”.

In ontology, people generally love to define things very precisely, whereas in epistemology, people find a logical reason behind every occurrence using precise data. Ontology is generally the study of “being” as “being in the world”; on the other hand, epistemology is the study of knowledge or knowing things like “what do you know?”.

Ontology is primarily about addressing who we are, while epistemology is primarily about how close to absolute reality our perceived reality is. An example of ontology is when a gray parrot asks the trainer what color I am. By presenting its shapes in different colors, the parrot poses an ontological question; on the contrary, the example of epistemology is why and how could the color of the gray parrot?

Comparison chart

What is ontology?

Ontology is considered the fundamental branch of philosophy and is one of the oldest. It is a Greek word that means study, theory or science of being, that exists.

In practical terms, ontology studies the existence or nonexistence of things and, furthermore, the existence of how things are related to each other. The questions that ontology asks are some of the oldest kinds of questions that humanity often asks: do ideas, memories, and emotions exist? God exists? Are there numbers? If there are numbers, memories or numbers, how are they related to each other?

All things are divided into two large groups by ontology: concrete entities, which includes trees or stones, and abstract entities, which includes God or memories. It is understandable that it is not usually possible to study these two types of entities with a similar method because they both contain different characteristics.

Like all branches of philosophy, ontology could be related to different fields of knowledge. For example, in medicine, ontology deeply considers what kind of disease it is, what are the different characteristics it has, and how humans might look at it.

In law, ontology determines the features of law and the characteristics that differentiate it from other systems, for example, customs. Also, in the ontology of computer science, it has grown a lot and its entities study the field of computer science and how they relate to each other.

What is epistemology?

Epistemology means study about knowledge. Epistemology deals with the second type of knowledge, and that is why epistemology is said to be the branch of philosophy that deals with the study of science.

For the ancient Greeks, there were two types of knowledge: Doxa means vulgar knowledge . It is usually based on subjective observation and opinion. For example, if I look out the door, I know it’s raining. Episteme means rigorous knowledge, and it is usually based on knowledge gained from objective study and analysis. For example, after reading, I know what causes rain.

Epistemology was studied from the beginning as ontology. That is why we can easily find examples of epistemological questions from the ancient philosophers.

René Descartes (1596-1650), the French philosopher, is deliberated as the founder of modern epistemology giving views that are based on the principle called epistemological fundamentalism. This principle is a thesis that says that human knowledge must be based on truths that cannot be denied.

Key differences

1. The branch of philosophy that deals with the general nature of things with identification in the most general term is known as ontology; on the other hand, the branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of knowledge itself, its scope, possibility, and general basis is epistemology.
2. Ontology generally asks questions like “What is existence?” or “What is the purpose of existence?”; on the contrary, epistemology usually asks questions like “What do you know?” or “How do you know?”
3. People normally like to describe things very precisely in ontology, while people grasp a logical reason behind each occurrence using precise data in epistemology.
4. Ontology is the learning of “being” as “being in the world”; on the other hand, epistemology is the learning of knowledge or knowing things like “what do you know?”.
5. Ontology inquires about what things, actions and relationships occur precisely and generally exist; on the other hand, epistemology inquires about how and why things happen and asks objectively.

Final Thought

The above discussion concludes that ontology and epistemology are the branches of philosophy that give their different ideas. Ontology is associated with truth or reality and the nature of reality, while epistemology is associated with the nature of acquiring knowledge and many different methods of acquiring knowledge.