📘 Epistemology
Etymology: From Greek epistēmē (“knowledge”) + -logia (“study, discourse”).
Definition: The study of knowledge — how we know, what counts as valid knowledge, and how truth or coherence can be recognized. In RSE, epistemology is about how embedded observers (endo-physical agents) can verify, witness, or interact with structures — the “how do we know” side.
📘 Ontology
Etymology: From Greek onto- (“being, existence”) + -logia (“study, discourse”).
Definition: The study of what exists and how things are structured. In philosophy, it asks “what kinds of things are there?” In RSE, ontology refers to the structures, fields, and laminations that make up the relational manifold — the “what is there” side.
👉 One way to keep them straight:
- Ontology = what exists.
- Epistemology = how we know about it.
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