{"product_id":"the-mystery-of-existence-9780470673553","title":"The Mystery of Existence","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis compelling study of the origins of all that exists, including explanations of the entire material world, traces the responses of philosophers and scientists to the most elemental and haunting question of all: why is \u003ci\u003eanything\u003c\/i\u003e hereor anything \u003ci\u003eanywhere\u003c\/i\u003e? Why is there something rather than nothing? Why not nothing? It includes the thoughts of dozens of luminaries from Plato and Aristotle to Aquinas and Leibniz to modern thinkers such as physicists Stephen Hawking and Steven Weinberg, philosophers Robert Nozick and Derek Parfit, philosophers of religion Alvin Plantinga and Richard Swinburne, and the Dalai Lama.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eThe first accessible volume to cover a wide range of possible reasons for the existence of all reality, from over 50 renowned thinkers, including Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Descartes, Leibniz, Hume, Bertrand Russell, Stephen Hawking, Steven Weinberg, Robert Nozick, Derek Parfit, Alvin Plantinga, Richard Swinburne, John Polkinghorne, Pau\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e“In this deep and thoughtful book, philosopher John Leslie and public sage Robert Lawrence Kuhnorganize, integrate, and reassess past and current ideas about this most compelling of metaphysical questions.”  (\u003ci\u003eM\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eetapsychology\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e,\u003c\/i\u003e 13 August 2013)\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“And now John Leslie and Robert Lawrence Kuhn have published The Mystery of Existence: Why Is There Anything At All\u003ci\u003e?\u003c\/i\u003e, a very useful anthology of classic and contemporary readings.”  (\u003ci\u003eFirst Things\u003c\/i\u003e, 24 July 2013)\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“Read the book by all means.  It's well written.  Inevitably.  After all its contributors number the greatest brains known to man.  But I think it has been misnamed.  \u003ci\u003eThe Mystery of Existence\u003c\/i\u003e.  \u003ci\u003e(There really isn't anything to concern us.)\u003c\/i\u003e.”  (\u003ci\u003eNew Nurturing Potential\u003c\/i\u003e, 1 July 2013)\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“I certainly recommend it, but it is not the sort of book you would buy to read in the train.”  (\u003ci\u003eMagonia Blog\u003c\/i\u003e, 6 June 2013)\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"Their book, which I would recommend highly to students, researchers or indeed anyone with a curiosity about or stimulated by these deepest of questions, offers an abundance of suggestions for further reading and research on this inexhaustible topic.\"  (\u003ci\u003eMysterious Planet\u003c\/i\u003e, 1 June 2013)  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eAbout the Editors vii\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAcknowledgments viii\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e1 General Introduction 1\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e2 Some Quotations 13\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eLeibniz, Kant \u003c\/i\u003e13\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eSchopenhauer, William James, George Santayana, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Bertrand Russell, J.J.C. Smart \u003c\/i\u003e14\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eJohn A. Wheeler, Stephen Hawking, Steven Weinberg \u003c\/i\u003e15\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e3 Possible Responses to “Why Anything?” 16\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eNicholas Rescher \u003c\/i\u003e16\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e4 First Solution: A Blank is Absurd 18\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEditorial Introduction 18\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eF.H. Bradley, Henri Bergson \u003c\/i\u003e24\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eBede Rundle \u003c\/i\u003e25\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eDavid Lewis \u003c\/i\u003e26\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePeter Unger \u003c\/i\u003e30\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eSteven Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow \u003c\/i\u003e39\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e5 Second Solution: No Explanation Needed 41\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEditorial Introduction 41\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eEpicurus \u003c\/i\u003e46\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eDavid Hume \u003c\/i\u003e47\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eFred Hoyle \u003c\/i\u003e49\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eW.B. Bonnor \u003c\/i\u003e51\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eBertrand Russell and F.C. Copleston \u003c\/i\u003e53\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAdolf Grünbaum \u003c\/i\u003e56\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e6 Third Solution: Chance 71\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEditorial Introduction 71\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAlan H. Guth \u003c\/i\u003e77\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eStephen Hawking \u003c\/i\u003e82\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAlex Vilenkin \u003c\/i\u003e90\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eMartin Rees \u003c\/i\u003e98\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePeter van Inwagen \u003c\/i\u003e98\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e7 Fourth Solution: Value\/Perfection as Ultimate 101\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEditorial Introduction 101\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePlato \u003c\/i\u003e109\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAristotle \u003c\/i\u003e110\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePlotinus \u003c\/i\u003e111\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eSt. Thomas Aquinas \u003c\/i\u003e112\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eSt. Anselm \u003c\/i\u003e113\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eRené Descartes \u003c\/i\u003e114\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAlvin Plantinga \u003c\/i\u003e115\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eBenedict Spinoza \u003c\/i\u003e118\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eGottfried Wilhelm Leibniz \u003c\/i\u003e119\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eG.W.F. Hegel \u003c\/i\u003e122\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eA.C. Ewing \u003c\/i\u003e123\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eKeith Ward \u003c\/i\u003e125\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eJohn Polkinghorne \u003c\/i\u003e125\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eJohn Leslie \u003c\/i\u003e126\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e8 Fifth Solution: Mind\/Consciousness as Ultimate 142\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEditorial Introduction 142\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eRichard Swinburne \u003c\/i\u003e147\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eTimothy O’Connor \u003c\/i\u003e153\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eWilliam Lane Craig \u003c\/i\u003e155\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eSayyed Hossein Nasr \u003c\/i\u003e159\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eTenzin Gyatso, Dalai Lama XIV \u003c\/i\u003e160\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAndrei Linde \u003c\/i\u003e161\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePaul Davies \u003c\/i\u003e163\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e9 Fine-Tuning and Multiple Universes 171\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEditorial Introduction 171\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eJohn Polkinghorne \u003c\/i\u003e178\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eLeonard Susskind \u003c\/i\u003e189\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eSteven Weinberg \u003c\/i\u003e192\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eMax Tegmark \u003c\/i\u003e194\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eRobin A. Collins \u003c\/i\u003e207\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e10 The Problem Seems Genuine 211\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEditorial Introduction 211\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eDerek Parfit \u003c\/i\u003e220\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eRobert Nozick \u003c\/i\u003e238\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eRobert Lawrence Kuhn \u003c\/i\u003e246\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eMichael Heller \u003c\/i\u003e278\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eNicholas Rescher \u003c\/i\u003e284\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBibliography and Further Reading 289\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndex of Names 310\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndex of Concepts 313\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"John Wiley and Sons Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48864636567895,"sku":"9780470673553","price":23.75,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780470673553.jpg?v=1722272835","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-mystery-of-existence-9780470673553","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}