Theories about what is real and what reality is are described as 'ontological'. Ontology is a branch of philosophy, the branch 'which concerns itself with what exists' (Blackburn's Dictionary).
There are disputes over whether numbers exist, or:-
Possibilities
The future
The past
Colours
Matter
Minds
Experience
I must leave that as a pointer. What I hope to have given you is
(a) a handle on the term 'ontology', and
(b) an awareness that to say a thing is real, or exists is not to say something
that is straightforwardly clear or unambiguous.
Last revised 03:11:04 |
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A module of the BA Philosophy programme Institute of Environment Philosophy and Public Policy | Lancaster University | e-mail philosophy@lancaster.ac.uk |