Philosophical Thought

Pre-Beingness; Reconsidering the Problem of Ground in the Horizon of Meta-Ontology, Knowledge, and Manifestation

Document Type : Original Research

Author

M.A. Montazeri

Islamic Seminary of Qom, Qom, Iran

https://doi.org/10.58209/jpt.6.3.305
Abstract
The notions of priority, foundation, and condition of possibility have been among the most pervasive themes in the history of philosophy. Yet philosophical traditions have largely focused on identifying particular foundations rather than examining the structure of priority itself. This paper introduces the concept of “Pre-beingness” as an independent philosophical problem and investigates whether it is merely an epistemic presupposition or a more fundamental structure underlying being, cognition, and manifestation. Using reexamining ontological, epistemological, and phenomenological traditions, the study argues that structures of priority, grounding, referentiality, and conditionality recur throughout the history of thought. The findings suggest that pre-beingness is neither an entity, nor a mode of being, nor merely an epistemological category; rather, it is a meta-ontological structure that makes grounding, explanation, understanding, manifestation, and directedness possible. Accordingly, pre-beingness may be understood as the universal condition of priority relations and the common horizon within which philosophical foundations become intelligible.

Keywords

Pre-beingness
Meta-Ontology
Ontology
Condition of Possibility
Ground Phenomenology
Subjects
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Philosophical Thought
Volume 6, Issue 3
Summer 2026
Pages 305-325

  • Receive Date 09 June 2026
  • Revise Date 06 July 2026
  • Accept Date 22 July 2026
  • Publish Date 11 August 2026