Ontology yog kev tshawb fawb txog kev xav ntawm qhov muaj nyob, tsim ntawm kev muaj tiag, pawg tseem ceeb ntawm kev ua thiab lawv txoj kev sib raug zoo. Kev lig kev cai suav hais tias yog ib feem ntawm xws li ib ceg philosophical li metaphysics. Ontology cuam tshuam nrog cov lus nug txog dab tsi tshwm sim thiab yuav ua li cas cov koom haum no tuaj yeem muab faib ua pawg raws li ib qho hierarchy, faib raws li qhov sib xws thiab qhov sib txawv. Ntxiv rau qhov tseem ceeb ntawm ontology, uas cuam tshuam nrog cov kev cai thoob ntiaj teb ntawm kev ua, muaj ntau ntu uas muaj cov xwm txheej tshwj xeeb raws li lawv qhov kev kawm (piv txwv li, ontology ntawm kab lis kev cai).
Lo lus "ontology" yog tsim los ntawm Greek cov hauv paus hniav "ontos", uas txhais tau tias "muaj; yog dab tsi", thiab "logos", i.e. "science, theory, research". Thiab txawm hais tias nws yog Greek keeb kwm, thawj qhov hais txog ntawm lo lus muaj nyob hauv cov ntawv sau hauv Latin. Nws tshwm nyob rau hauv lus Askiv nyob rau hauv Nathaniel Bailey phau ntawv txhais lus nyob rau hauv 1721, qhov twg nws yog txhais raws li "kev piav qhia txog kev ua". Qhov no, tau kawg, lees paub tias lo lus twb tau siv nyob rau lub sijhawm ntawd.
Nyob hauv kev xav txog kev xav, ontology yog cov lus qhuab qhia uasdeals nrog lub ntsiab lus ntawm lub hauv paus pawg ntawm kev ua, thiab tseem nug txog qhov kev nkag siab ntawm cov ntsiab lus ntawm pawg no tuaj yeem "muaj". Qhov no yog ib txoj kev tshawb fawb tsom mus rau hauv nws tus kheej, tsis yog tsom rau elucidating, piv txwv li, cov khoom ntiag tug thiab qhov tseeb txog qee qhov chaw.
Sim daws cov teeb meem ntawm ontology, qee tus kws tshawb fawb, tshwj xeeb yog Platonists, tau sib cav tias txhua lub npe (xws li cov npe paub daws teeb) hais txog qhov tseeb. Lwm cov kws tshawb fawb tau sib cav txog qhov no, muab tso rau hauv qhov kev xav tias lub npe tsis yog ib txwm hais txog tib neeg, tab sis qee qhov ntawm lawv qhia txog ib pawg ntawm cov khoom zoo sib xws lossis cov xwm txheej. Raws li yav tas los, lub siab, es tsis txhob taw tes rau lub neej, hais txog ib pawg ntawm kev puas siab puas ntsws tshwm sim los ntawm ib tug neeg. Yog li, lo lus "kev sib raug zoo" yog txuam nrog cov duab ntawm tib neeg uas muaj qee yam zoo, thiab lo lus "geometry" yog txuam nrog kev txawj ntse tshwj xeeb.
Muaj ntau lwm cov ntsiab lus ntawm kev pom ntawm cov kev tsis sib haum xeeb uas sawv cev rau kev muaj tiag thiab nominalism, tab sis txhua yam ontology yog ib qho kev tshawb fawb uas yuav tsum tau muab lub tswv yim ntawm cov ntsiab lus uas hais txog qhov tseeb, uas tsis yog vim li cas thiab cov pawg twg peb muaj raws li qhov tshwm sim. Thaum cov kev tshawb fawb no kov cov ntsiab lus xws li qhov chaw, lub sijhawm, laj thawj, kev zoo siab, kev sib cuag, lub zog, thiab Vajtswv, ontology tau dhau los ua qhov tseem ceeb rau ntau lub tswv yim.
YogYog li, ontology yog cov lus qhuab qhia philosophical, cov teeb meem tseem ceeb uas suav nrog qhov teeb meem ntawm kev ua li ntawd. Dab tsi yog ua thiab dab tsi tuaj yeem hu ua uas twb muaj lawm? Cov khoom puas tuaj yeem muab faib ua pawg, thiab yog tias muaj, rau hauv pawg dab tsi? Lub ntsiab lus ntawm kev ua, lub ntsiab lus ntawm kev ua yog dab tsi? Cov neeg xav sib txawv thoob plaws hauv keeb kwm ntawm lub tswv yim tau muab ntau cov lus teb rau cov lus nug no, uas tuaj yeem cuam tshuam qhov xwm txheej ntawm tag nrho lub sijhawm lossis kab lis kev cai.
