flat ontology

is an ontology not separated into different ontological categories (organism, species, genera), but rather made exclusively of unique singular individuals that differ in spatio-temporal scale but not in ontological status.

while an ontology based on relations between general types and particular instances is hierarchical, each level representing a different ontological category (organism, species, genera), an approach in terms of interacting parts and emergent wholes leads to a flat ontology, one made exclusively of unique, singular individuals, differing in spatio-temporal scale but not in ontological status. (Delanda 47)

flat ontology, n.All

flat ontology