n. the branch of philosophy that deals with the question of existence itself. From some philosophical perspectives, ontology is synonymous with metaphysics, in that both ask fundamental questions about what reality is. However, from the perspective of contemporary existentialism and hermeneutics, ontology implies a concern with the meaning of existence that is largely lacking in traditional metaphysics. Whereas metaphysics asks “What is there?” or “What is fundamental?,” the question of ontology is often posed as “What does it mean to ‘be’ at all?” For example, to say that Smith is a professor is to rely on a very different sense of the verb be than is present in a statement that Smith is hungry. Likewise, Smith is not a professor in the same way that a painting is beautiful. Contemporary approaches to ontology often take their analytical point of departure from the work of
German philosopher Martin Heidegger (1889–1976). In this tradition, psychology is the pursuit of an adequate understanding of the ontology of human beings. It asks, or ought to ask, “What does it mean to be a human being?” See being-in-the-world; Dasein; existential phenomenology. —ontologicaladj.