Ontology and Epistemology
Introduction
Ontology is a branch of philosophy that states the science of what is, and the types of and structure of objects in each area of reality (Smith, 2012). An ontology is a formal specification of a shared conceptualization, with a logical theory accounting for the intended meaning of formal vocabulary. It strives to give a specific classification of entities in all areas (Smith, 2012). Ontologies are used to ground lexical items such as semantic parsing and object linking. Epistemology entails the foundations of science and includes the study departments such as mathematics. It is the study of methodologies and general inquiries that delve into the meaning of knowledge claims and attributions and their validity (Longino, 2017). Traditionally, it was seen as a branch of philosophy.
Relationship
The focus of ontological questions is on the nature of being. It focuses on the nature of reality, its form, and the things that can be known regarding reality (Lowndes, Marsh & Stoker, 2018). Its ontological position of objectivism assumes the realness of the world that is independent of our knowledge concerning it, while subjectivism treats the world as one of the social constructions. It influences a researcher’s view on the things we can learn about the world. Epistemology projects two key questions as to whether real relationships are established between social phenomena and, secondly, the double hermeneutic. That brings in the interpretivist theory of knowledge and even questions ontology on the existence of a real independent world according to an anti-foundationalist’s argument (Lowndes, Marsh & Stoker, 2018).
Conclusion
It is argued that one cannot prove an ontological position. However, they are related because its concerns lie with enquiries of and the making sense of ontology. Foundationalist ontology results in realist epistemology. Interpretivist epistemology, on the other hand, is as a result of an anti-foundationalist ontology.