What exactly is the difference between ontology and metaphysics? I’ve tried to find this out on my own using dictionaries and Google, but haven’t been able to figure it out completely. I know that ontology is a branch of metaphysics that is concerned with the nature of being. But metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of reality. Those sound kind of the same, and I’m not really sure how they’re different.

And while I’m at it, I might as well ask what the difference between phenomenalism and phenomonolgy is. The only thing I can think of is that the difference is like the difference between true skeptics like Pyrrho and the skepticism of Rene Descartes, where he used it as a method rather than as a belief system. Is this an accurate portrayal?

I’ve heard Metaphysics defined as the study of being and Ontology defined as the study of existence. The difference between being and existence seems minimal to me. I’m probably missing something.