Epistemology versus Ontology in Philosophy - Essay Example

Epistemology versus Ontology in Philosophy Introduction: The basic issue of this paper is to distinguish between epistemology and ontology to demonstrate that the latter is a more important ingredient of research design. The paper will follow the pattern of defining the research problem, the research area and the going on to defining epistemology and ontology in context of philosophy. For this it will be follow an analytical bent in order to find, through examples, the differences as well as similarities between ontology and epistemology as far as knowledge goes. At this point it is imperative to say that this paper pitches epistemology against ontology with an argument for the former. This is due to the fact that the nature of the philosophy demands a field of study like epistemology for research design. In the course of this paper, the various aspects like positivism and interpretivism as well as subjective and objective bent of mind will be discussed with a focus on the elements of the research area. Therefore, it may be said that this paper has been written on the assumption that epistemology is better suited than ontology for research design in philosophy. Philosophy and Ideation To begin with, one has to understand research design in context of philosophy as a style of writing or expressing ideas. This has a nexus with positivism as well as interpretivism in understanding how knowledge is gathered and used. Johnson et al's text (2000) starts with a study of innate notions. This portion of the book is a study of the elements that lead to speculation and a subsequent formation of perspective. This points to positivism. Throughout this part, the authors have managed to hook the reader on to the idea that speculation is an element that must be used in very discreet doses as more of it can damage the practical side of things in one's mind. (Johnson et al, 2000) As a philosophical notion, this is an ideal that is true to writing. In writing, it is imperative to stick to a certain balance between factual information and a small amount of speculation. This holds on to people's imagination and memories. Therefore, in this part of the book, the authors have merely described a style of writing that has to do with organising ideas and information or interpretivism. This sets the stage for understanding and differentiating between epistemology and ontology. Further into the book, one will find ideals that are connected with principles in the mind. The mind is an organ that churns out thoughts and expressions of the same. These expressions are a part of the basic mental setup of the person concerned. This quality, in turn, springs from an ability to form a successful marriage between imagination and the overall truth surrounding a person. Therefore, these principles work towards defining a certain kind of writing and research design that can be applied by any person for means of appropriate self expression. (Johnson et al, 2000) The second part of the book is about Ideas. Writing is a field where ideation is an important phase before one begins to actually put the ideas down on pen and paper. Where does this ideation happen It happens during one's life experiences. These life experiences revolve around the garnering of values and ideals in life. One's writing often depicts the state of one's belief system. Thus, in describing ideas, Locke has managed to show what a person's preliminary research in writing is based on. This preliminary research comes from what is within oneself. (Locke, 2007) Analysis To begin with, let us define the concepts of epistemology and ontology, individually. Epistemology: This is a field of study that is closely related to philosophy. Epistemology, through the definition of theories and concepts, seeks to study a body of knowledge by applying the relevant definitions. This points towards subjectivism and the use of a positive attitude in deducing and understanding knowledge. In this way, it shares some similarity with ontology. It is a field of study that uses tools like analysis and interpretation. For the application of epistemology, it is important to have a body of ready to use or analyze factual data. This gives it an interpretivist outlook. This field combines the study of data with the application of philosophical tools, so as to garner broad generalizations. These generalizations adhere to various truths and beliefs, as may be depicted in the overall perception of the philosophical dimensions of the knowledge being studied. There is a strong scope for the use of logic and reasoning in this area. Justification of findings through various mathematical and statistical modes is also an important part of the field of epistemology. (Johnson et al, 2000) Ontology: Ontology is a vast field of study. It is more objective in nature and is based on using the positivism approach towards understanding and dealing with knowledge. Its scope is greater than that of epistemology. This can be demonstrated by the fact that epistemology simply seeks to derive various findings through a study of the facts. Ontology on the other, seeks to find all the relevant knowledge that can contribute to a more systematic study of facts for more accurate findings which gives it the feel of positivism more than interpretivism. In the field of ontology, there is a focus on the defining of various parameters from varied perspectives. This helps the researcher reach certain generalizations so as to arrive on the common features of the parameter being studied. These common features can be summarized to form an accurate depiction of the issue at hand. (Johnson et al, 2000) Positivism Vs Interpretivism Here, it is important to realize that the study of culture is relevant to the research design. Therefore, it is imperative for the research design to be one that will be based on gathering, interpretation and appropriate presentation of the facts. This is a concept supported by ontology, as epistemology simply seeks to study the existing data. This is the first point that pitches ontology or positivism against epistemology or interpretivism. (Lango, 1972)1 In this regard, ontology is more objective in its pursuit of research whereas epistemology is more subjective. Ontology is a field that is capable of delivering a wider knowledge base as compared to epistemology. The only argument for ontology is one that springs from the fact that ontology will be better able to integrate and prioritise the data into a coherent whole. This has to do with the fact that philosophy is a one of the oldest yet growing field with an ever increasing body of knowledge. In order to specifically study how this can affect the various social spheres in the cultural context, one needs to define a plethora of areas in terms of operational context within the basic research issue at hand. (Lango, 1972) The definition of the research areas in philosophy is supported by the use epistemology owing to the fact that the data needs to customised in order to suit and have context to the specific area of culture in the writing and research style adopted by philosophy where the perspective needs to be more on the subjective side. This gives it an interpretivist outlook. Owing to the various set parameters, it is imperative to use a research design that will help garner various perspectives. This can be done most effectively by epistemology. (Davies et al, 2003)2 Epistemology is the best course of action to take as regards philosophy owing to the fact that it needs the existence of data that will be presented along the lines of the research areas. This pitches the positivism ideal in research rather than the interpretivism theme followed in ontology where existing facts are merely interpreted so as to form a conclusion which gives it a more positivist outlook. Epistemology offers more scope to study and analyse various perspectives and thus has a more positive and open approach. Thus, with the use of epistemology, there will be a less wholesome appeal to the final conclusions of the research. Conclusion In conclusion it may be said that handling knowledge and gathering it are the perspective of a researcher or a philosopher. The positivism and interpretivism angles are only added on as a result of the way that the knowledge is handled. In this paper, there have been notes on how similar and how dissimilar ontology ad epistemology can be in terms of interpretivism and positivism. This goes on to show that the subjective and objective use of data make the methodology of handling knowledge a matter of using the positivist or interpretivist approach more than anything else. In this regard, epistemology and ontology both consist the principles of positivism and interpretivism. These principles are the very crux of handling knowledge according to epistemology or ontology. In this regard, the assumptions according to which hypotheses are formed and proven are based on the epistemological or ontological view. The way in which these assumptions are put forward and analysed depend on whether the researcher or philosopher uses the positivist or interpretivist view. Here, the subjective and objective viewpoints also come into play as far as leaning towards interpretivism or positivism is concerned. References Lango, John W (1972) Whitehead's Ontology. SUNY Press. Davies, John; Fensel, Dieter; Harmelen; Frank V (2003) Towards the Semantic Web: Ontology Driven Knowledge Management. Wiley Publishers. Johnson, Phil; Duberley, Joanne (2000). Understanding Management Research - An Introduction to Epistemology. Sage. Read More