On Synontology

This essay examines variations on the argument that relations, rather than things, are the fundamental ontological units—what I refer to as synontology. The essay begins by surveying a number of seminal iterations of this idea, and then examines synontology as a practice, method, and politics. Lastly, I consider synontology in its historical context—its past, present, and future—showing that it has been consistently present in the history of philosophy and that recent decades have seen a notable proliferation of this viewpoint across disciplines.