The Significance And History Of Ontology The Meaning Of Existence

Ontology is the study of existence, reality, or Being. As a field of philosophy, it may deal with the motivation, process and purpose of all existing beings, with the ultimate cause of existence, and with the attributes and original nature of substance itself.

It is widely known that throughout the history of Western philosophy the primary philosophical questions have been ontological ones. The Greek philosophers, including those of Miletos, dealt with the question of the source of the universe and regarded the cosmic source as being different things such as water, air, soil, fire, number, idea or eidos. Such a list reveals the great variety of concepts of existence which have been presented.