entity
Entity ( medium latin entitas to late latin ens , being, Ding ') is in the philosophy of a basic concept of the ontology , which is used in two senses:
- On the one hand, it denotes something that exists, a being , a concrete or abstract object . In this sense, the term entity is usually used as a collective term to address objects as diverse as things , properties , relationships , facts or events at once. This is the common usage in contemporary parlance.
- On the other hand, it can also stand for the essence of an object in the sense of an element necessary for the existence and identity of the object. In this respect, entity is synonymous with the classical concept of substance .
The first sense of the term is the more common today. However, the independence of the entity's existence is often only asserted for a specific universe of discourse .
See also
Web links
Wiktionary: Entity - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
Individual evidence
- ↑ Entity. Duden , accessed on November 10, 2012 .
- ↑ Thomas Blume: Entity. (No longer available online.) UTB Dictionary Philosophy, formerly in the original ; Retrieved November 10, 2012 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )