Epistemology vs Ontology: What’s the Difference?
The difference at a glance
Epistemology asks how we know what we know and defines the limits of knowledge. Ontology focuses on the nature of existence and what categories of things actually exist.
Example sentences are illustrative learning examples, not verified quotations.
What does Epistemology mean?
noun · /ɪˌpɪstɪˈmɒlədʒi/
The branch of philosophy that studies the nature, origin, and limits of human knowledge; the question of what it means to know something.
Explore EpistemologyEpistemology in a sentence
The course opened with epistemology — before tackling big questions, we had to ask what it meant to know.
Post-truth politics is fundamentally an epistemological crisis.
What does Ontology mean?
noun · /ɒnˈtɒl.ə.dʒi/
The branch of metaphysics that concerns itself with the nature of being and existence — what kinds of things exist, and what it means to exist at all.
Explore OntologyOntology in a sentence
The novel raised ontological questions: was the narrator real within the story's own logic?
His ontology was materialist — he believed that only physical things truly existed.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Epistemology and Ontology?
Epistemology asks how we know what we know and defines the limits of knowledge. Ontology focuses on the nature of existence and what categories of things actually exist.
What does Epistemology mean?
The branch of philosophy that studies the nature, origin, and limits of human knowledge; the question of what it means to know something.
What does Ontology mean?
The branch of metaphysics that concerns itself with the nature of being and existence — what kinds of things exist, and what it means to exist at all.