Explanation of Ontology with a simple example.

1. WHAT IS ONTOLOGY
AND EPISTEMOLOGY
-K.BALAMURUGAN.IFS, CHEVENING
SCHOLAR
SHEFFIELD UNIV, U.K.

2.  THERE ARE CERTAIN UNIVERSAL TRUTH
 EXAMPLE:
 IT SHOWS BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCE
 But…
MALE
FEMALE
-SEX

3. GENDER IS A
SOCIALLY
CONSTRUCTED
TRUTH
CONSIDER
THE TRUTH
ABOUT
GENDER
The term used with
reference to social
and cultural
differences in
viewing male
/female rather than
the biological
difference.
Ex. Women are
expected to
dress/behave in a
particular way in each
society.
What we think (to be)
a ‘normal’ women is
thus a stereotype of
that culture.

4. So what explains this?
 Ontology: Nature of truth.
 Where lies the truth? In physical world or in the
minds?
 Can you know it objectively or subjectively?
 Objective truth: Male,female, a tree, newton’s
law, the computer in front of you.
 Subjective truth: Gender, race, casteism,
happiness, God, Religious faith, preferences,
taste.

5.  Epistemology: how do you acquire knowledge?
 In physical world (positivism) or in the minds of
people (interpretivism)?
 ( Why a does a researcher need to study on
epistemology? A researcher attempts to create
new knowledge. He/she cannot create knowledge
unless he/she fix on what kind of knowledge he is
attempting to acquire.)
 To know if a community is ‘happy’ about a new
government scheme one need to interview
people/ do ethnogrphy.
 ( Here interviewing is the way of acquiring
knowledge)

6. THANK YOU