Non-physical entity: Difference between revisions

A non-physical entity is an entity that lacks a physical/material body or characteristics. Non-physical entities may be considered hypothetical, e.g. deities of religions no longer conventionally believed in, and used as an example of an imaginary being in analytic philosophy. In esotericism and religions, they may refer to gods, spirits, and so on, which either lack a body, or possess a subtle body only, and are generally considered belonging to a supra-physical plane of existence. Non-physical entities may also refer to concepts whose existence is considered in philosophical argument, such as qualia. In the philosophy of mathematics, numbers, spaces, sets, and so forth are considered to be existent and yet not physical. In computer science and information science, in an ontology, entities can be classified as physical (composed of matter) or non-physical (abstract concepts).

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2012)

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2012)

In philosophy, propositions, meanings, statements, etc, can be defined as non-physical entities.^{[1]: 330–331}

In the substance dualism branch of philosophy, persons are considered non-physical entities attached to physical bodies.^[2]

In the philosophy of mathematics certain existent yet not physical conceptions can be considered non-physical entities, for example numbers, functions, and sets.^[1]: 328 These are nomally referred to as abstract objects.

In computer science and information science, an ontology is used to formally represent knowledge as a set of concepts within a domain, and the relationships between those concepts, which can then be used to reason about the entities within that domain. Entities can be categorized or classified as tangible/physical, intangible/non-physical, or both. Tangible/physical may be defined as things composed of matter (e.g., planets, furniture, or persons), and intangible/non-physical may be defined as things that cannot be touched, such as abstract concepts (e.g., mathematical concepts, alphabets, and literary works). Examples of entities that are both tangible and intangible at the same time are a printed book, a thumb drive, and a person. They are physical, but also contain intangible knowledge and information that is independent of and transcends the physical media upon which the information is placed. The distinction between physical and non-physical may occur at the highest level of the upper ontology, as in SUMO^[3] and Cyc,^[4] or not occur at all, as in OCHRE.

• Apparitional experience
• Platonic realism

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