the Great Chain of Being
E645647
The Great Chain of Being is a hierarchical conception of the universe that arranges all forms of existence, from God down through angels, humans, animals, and inanimate matter, in a fixed and ordered scale of perfection.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Great Chain of Being | 1 |
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
cosmological hierarchy
ⓘ
philosophical concept ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
Aristotelian philosophy
ⓘ
Neoplatonism NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| centralIdea |
all reality forms a single ordered whole
ⓘ
no gaps between levels of being ⓘ perfection decreases with distance from God ⓘ |
| criticizedBy | Enlightenment thinkers NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| criticizedFor |
rigid view of nature
ⓘ
supporting inequality ⓘ |
| declinedWith |
development of modern science
ⓘ
rise of evolutionary theory ⓘ |
| describes | hierarchical structure of reality ⓘ |
| developedFrom | ancient Greek metaphysics ⓘ |
| hasAlternativeName |
chain of being
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
scala naturae ⓘ |
| hasProperty |
continuous gradation of beings
ⓘ
fixed order ⓘ hierarchical order ⓘ scale of perfection ⓘ |
| historicallyDominantIn |
early modern Europe
ⓘ
medieval Europe ⓘ |
| implies |
every being has a proper place
ⓘ
ontological inequality among beings ⓘ |
| includesLevel |
God
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
angels ⓘ animals ⓘ humans ⓘ inanimate matter ⓘ plants ⓘ |
| influencedField |
ethics
ⓘ
literature ⓘ metaphysics ⓘ natural history ⓘ political theory ⓘ theology ⓘ |
| influencedTradition |
Renaissance philosophy
ⓘ
early modern natural philosophy ⓘ medieval Christian thought ⓘ |
| orders | all forms of existence ⓘ |
| relatedConcept |
cosmic hierarchy
ⓘ
natural order ⓘ ontological hierarchy ⓘ |
| startsWith | God NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| usedToJustify |
gender hierarchy
ⓘ
monarchical authority ⓘ social hierarchy ⓘ species hierarchy ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Great Chain of Being