Grounding (metaphysics)


Grounding is a topic in metaphysics. One thing is sometimes said to "ground" another when the first in some way accounts for the existence or properties of the second.

Overview

A distinction is typically made between grounding relations and other dependence relations, such as causation or realization. Grounding is often considered to be a form of non-causal determination or priority
According to some in favor of the idea, things which are less fundamental are grounded in things that are more fundamental. Here's an example. Many people say that physical particles are more fundamental than tables, cats, mountains and other large, composite objects. Some say that, for this reason, physical particles ground large, composite objects. Or, they say that facts about physical particles ground facts about large, composite objects.