The Factual Ontology of Technical Artefacts

Abstract

: This paper aims to articulate the construction of ontology from the meta-ontology sphere, and clarify the appropriate approach to the factual ontology of artefacts through case analysis. In order to solve the ethical problems of artefact kinds, I elaborate the ontology of artefacts with four natures: technicality, embodiment, sociality and historicity. Technicality refers to the human use of technical means to create objects. Embodiment describes the properties related to and adaption to human body characteristics. Sociality implies the attribution of artefacts in social activities. History indicates the participation of artefacts in the course of shaping history within human activities. The four natures comprehensively describe the state of existence of artefact kinds.