A Dynamic Relational Ontology and Its Implications for Epistemology

This chapter proposes a dynamic relational ontology (DRO) within a critical realist framework and a theory of ontological emergence and downward causation. The proposed DRO does not subscribe to the idea that relations are the sole constituents of reality. Instead, it argues that the existence and identity of every entity must be addressed and explained in terms of three co-relative and interdependent ontological categories: relations, relata, and relational systems. In the second part of this chapter, I will clarify and illustrate the most important epistemological implications of the proposed ontology. Specifically, I will show how ontological emergence and downward-structural causation require the development of interlevel integrative models of explanation, substituting those underpinning traditional reductionist approaches. I will conclude by briefly analyzing a case study specifically related to the domain of the social and human sciences. In particular, I will consider the problem of the emergence of mind and the domain of social relations, with a special focus on the interdisciplinary field called social neuroscience.