Epistemology, Metaphysics & Ontology

This document discusses the branches of philosophy - Epistemology, Metaphysics & Ontology. It explores the nature of knowledge, existence, and being. It also delves into the concepts of God, creation, and reality from a Christian perspective.

Epistemology, Metaphysics & Ontology

Epistemology
a. According to Code, (2017) epistemology is one the branches of philosophy which deals with
knowledge, its scope and nature.
b. The origin, nature and the limitations of human knowledge are studied under the subject
matter of epistemology (Hugghes & Sharrock, 2016). It justifies the human knowledge and its
beliefs from a philosophical point of view.
c. Everything in the universe is upheld by the Almighty with his power as mentioned in Hebrews
chapter 1, verse 3. Therefore the belief which is developed among the Christians by reading the
Bible is that everything in the universe will be taking place in order and also follow a rational
behavior.
d. In 2 Peter: chapter 3, verse 8, it is said that time is transcended by the Lord. Thus in the
universe nothing is subject to a change of arbitrary nature. The situation in the past had been
different from the situation in the present. But the changes would still not be random.
Metaphysics
a. According to Adorno, (2015) there are some first principles of few things which might be
abstract in their concept and are dealt in the subject matter of metaphysics which is a branch of
philosophy.
b. Metaphysics is an abstract idea of philosophy which deals with identity, knowledge, space and
time (Loux & Crisp, 2017).
c. According to the Christians, the world has been created by God and everything in the world is
existent because of God. Thus they believe that man has been created by God and God is beyond
creation and eternal.
d. The biblical teachings give a base of thinking to the Christians who acknowledge the existence
of God, creation of man by God and reality to them is controlled by their belief that universe is
created by God and nothing would have been true without God.

Ontology
a. A very important part of existence is ‘I’ or being. The nature of being is studied in details
under the subject matter of ontology which is a branch of metaphysics (Esfeld & Deckert, 2017).
b. According to Moltmann, (2017) ontology studies the main concept of being and the various
categories of being and their interrelation. The concept of becoming, reality and existence are
dealt in the subject matter.
c. According to the Christian ontology, God is Trinitarian, i.e., there is existence of God in three
persons. God is one as per their belief but he exists in three substantial hypostases- the Father,
the Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
d. Christians believe that man is created by God. The creation of man is in the image of God.
This means that man looks similar to God. How far man is similar to God in physical, moral and
spiritual sense is studied in Christian ontology.
Epistemology discussions
a. As discussed in Johnson, (2010) humans have always been interested to know about
creation, the origin or start of the universe and everything in it. This is a reference to the
idea of epistemology or the theory of knowledge itself.
b. The concept of personhood which has been studied by psychologists impacts the
knowledge of oneself or epistemology of self-origin (Puffer, 2007). God or the Supreme
Being is the transcendent drive which is causing the reality in the universe.
c. Worldview is the idea or the beliefs which the intellectual community across the world
has about reality. Naturalism is a part of epistemology. In naturalism theory it is believed
that the natural entities can only exist. The empirical science justifies the existence and
beliefs of natural entities like humans (Johnson & Watson, 2012).

d. Christians’ knowledge of reality is driven by the fact that God is the supreme power
driving the entire universe. The order in the universe is governed by the Almighty or
Supreme Being. The orderliness and the rationality of the universe are based on the
knowledge of God. Once a non-Christian disbelieves the existence of God, the foundation
of knowledge about reality and existence gets disturbed (Puffer, 2007).
Metaphysics discussions
a. In Johnson, (2010) it is discussed that what interests humans the most is the knowledge
about their own existence. All the wonders are surrounding the creation, being and
existence of human. This is a reference to the subject matter of metaphysics which deals
with knowing and being.
b. In Puffer (2007), the identity of man or woman in front of God, their existence in
scriptures, etc. have been discussed. These are references to Christian metaphysics. Time,
space, identity and being all are referred to in connection between God and man.
c. The Christians believe that their own identity is drawn from the supreme creator’s
creations. The orderly and rational universe is created, driven and controlled by the
Creator (Johnson, 2010).
d. Being a part of the world is in itself a concept of metaphysics. The interaction and
identity of various life forms, the pre-understanding of the life world is a meta-concept. It
is important to have worldview awareness because it is said that humans are driven by the
beliefs they have about existence and reality. The beliefs shape the being or the nature of
being. The characteristics of a person are shaped by the beliefs and psychology they have
developed (Johnson & Watson, 2012).

Ontology discussions
a. John Calvin’s words that have been quoted by Johnson, (2010) in his work refer closely
to the subject matter of ontology which is concerned with being. It is said that in the vast
universe humans are a micro element contributing to the vastness.
b. There are some concepts of humanness which have been derived from the bible as its
traits. These try to understand the nature of being human (Puffer, 2007).
c. The reference to inner structure of the human beings implies to the study of ‘I’ or being.
The reason, memory, vices, virtues, sensation, etc. are the various attributes of being. The
folk psychology referred to in the Bible is nothing but the study or story of the categories
of being (Johnson, 2010).
d. The redemption of humans, sanctification of humans, the indwelling nature of the Holy
Spirit, the Christian belief that duty of human is to make themselves righteous in
accordance to the Bible, etc. are all a part of the Christian ontology (Puffer, 2007).

References
Adorno, T. W. (2015). Metaphysics: concept and problems. UK, New Jersey: John Wiley &
Sons.
Code, L. (2017). Epistemic responsibility. In The Routledge Handbook of Epistemic Injustice.
UK, Abingdon: Routledge.
Esfeld, M., & Deckert, D. A. (2017). A minimalist ontology of the natural world. UK, Abingdon:
Routledge.
Hughes, J. A., & Sharrock, W. W. (2016). The philosophy of social research. UK, Abingdon:
Routledge.
Johnson, E. L. (2010). A brief history of Christians in psychology. Psychology and Christianity:
Five views, 9-47.
Johnson, E. L., & Watson, P. J. (2012). Worldview communities and the science of psychology.
In Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion, 50 (23), pp. 269-283
Loux, M. J., & Crisp, T. M. (2017). Metaphysics: A contemporary introduction. UK, Abingdon:
Routledge.
Moltmann, F. (2017). Natural language ontology. UK, Abingdon: Routledge
Puffer, K. A. (2007). Essential Biblical Assumptions about Human Nature: A Modest
Proposal. Journal of Psychology & Christianity, 26(1).