  One of the innovative approaches in contemporary philosophical ontology
consists in the assumption of a plurality of ontologies based on different
metaphysical presuppositions. Such presuppositions involve, among others, the
identification of relevant properties for the objects of our domain as a
guiding principle in uncovering what it is to be considered intrinsic and what
could be the mere effect of selection preferences based on objective or
subjective criteria. A remarkable example of the application of a background
metaphysical theory in astrophysics is the problem of selection biases in
detecting cosmological objects, such as supernovae, galaxies and gamma-ray
bursts. We will show that it is valuable to be aware of the importance of
uncovering this type of background theory to better understand selection
effects and to promote a novel approach in scientific research.
