Ontology vs. Epistemology — What's the Difference?

A categorization or systematization of entities.

Philosophical exploration of how we know things.

Philosophical examination of being and reality.

The study of knowledge and its limits.

The study of the nature of existence.

Investigating the validity of knowledge sources.

Delving into the essence and properties of things.

Concerned with the nature of belief and justification.

Ontology is the branch of philosophy that studies concepts such as existence, being, becoming, and reality. It includes the questions of how entities are grouped into basic categories and which of these entities exist on the most fundamental level.

Analysis of the relationship between belief, truth, and knowledge.

The branch of metaphysics that deals with the nature of being.

Epistemology ( (listen); from Greek ἐπιστήμη, epistēmē 'knowledge', and -logy) is the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge. Epistemologists study the nature, origin, and scope of knowledge, epistemic justification, the rationality of belief, and various related issues.

(Computers) A system for naming, classifying, and defining objects.

The branch of philosophy that examines the nature of knowledge, its presuppositions and foundations, and its extent and validity.

The branch of metaphysics that addresses the nature or essential characteristics of being and of things that exist; the study of being qua being.

(uncountable) The branch of philosophy dealing with the study of knowledge; theory of knowledge, asking such questions as "What is knowledge?", "How is knowledge acquired?", "What do people know?", "How do we know what we know?", "How do we know it is true?", and so on.

In a subject view, or a world view, the set of conceptual or material things or classes of things that are recognised as existing, or are assumed to exist in context, and their interrelations; in a body of theory, the ontology comprises the domain of discourse, the things that are defined as existing, together with whatever emerges from their mutual implications.

(countable) A particular instance, version, or school thereof; a particular theory of knowledge.

The theory of a particular philosopher or school of thought concerning the fundamental types of entity in the universe.

The theory or science of the method or grounds of knowledge.

(logic) A logical system involving theory of classes, developed by Stanislaw Lesniewski (1886-1939).

The philosophical theory of knowledge

A structure of concepts or entities within a domain, organized by relationships; a system model.

That department of the science of metaphysics which investigates and explains the nature and essential properties and relations of all beings, as such, or the principles and causes of being.

A systematic arrangement of all of the important categories of objects or concepts which exist in some field of discourse, showing the relations between them. When complete, an ontology is a categorization of all of the concepts in some field of knowledge, including the objects and all of the properties, relations, and functions needed to define the objects and specify their actions. A simplified ontology may contain only a hierarchical classification (a taxonomy) showing the type subsumption relations between concepts in the field of discourse. An ontology may be visualized as an abstract graph with nodes and labeled arcs representing the objects and relations.

The metaphysical study of the nature of being and existence

A framework that defines how entities are related.

Ontology focuses on the nature of being and reality.

Ontology clarifies the nature of entities being studied and their relationships, grounding research perspectives.

"Do numbers exist independently of the human mind?" is an ontological question.

Epistemology investigates the reliability and validity of perception as a source of knowledge.

No, Epistemology differentiates between mere beliefs and justified, true knowledge.

Yes, by examining the validity and justification of knowledge claims, Epistemology can discern scientific methods from non-scientific ones.

A core debate is whether reality is objective (exists independently) or subjective (mind-dependent).

While rooted in philosophy, both disciplines are also vital in various research fields, shaping methodologies.

Ontology debates the nature of time, such as whether it's absolute, relational, or an illusion.

Epistemology examines the nature, sources, and limits of knowledge.

While Ontology defines what exists, Epistemology determines how we come to know about it.

Epistemology examines the role of intuition as a knowledge source, discussing its reliability and validity.

No, Ontology can also delve into abstract, non-physical entities like emotions or ideas.

Yes, a researcher's beliefs about knowledge (Epistemology) often shape their research methods.

Understanding Epistemology helps educators recognize how students process and validate information, shaping pedagogical approaches.