Ontology

Beginner

Nothing here assumes you have read philosophy before. Every term is defined where it first appears, and the motivating example comes before the formalism.

What 'Exists' Means
The difference between existing, being real, and merely being talked about
8 min
Candidate Existents
Ordinary things, happenings, qualities, and numbers, and why the last two are contested
10 min
Needs firstWhat 'Exists' Means
Universals and Instances
One thing said of many, and the first question anyone asks about properties
9 min
Needs firstCandidate Existents
Identity and Individuation
Counting things requires knowing when you have one or two, and that turns out to depend on what kind they are
10 min
Needs firstUniversals and Instances
Is Existence a Property?
Kant's complaint that adding 'and it exists' says nothing about a thing, and Frege's way of making that precise
10 min
Needs firstIdentity and Individuation
Ontological Commitment, Informally
What a theory says there is, and how rewriting a sentence can change the answer
9 min
Needs firstIs Existence a Property?