{"product_id":"the-mystery-of-existence-isbn-9780470673553","title":"The Mystery of Existence","description":"\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 here—or 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, Paul Davies, and the Dalai Lama \u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eFeatures insights by scientists, philosophers, and theologians\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eIncludes informative and helpful editorial introductions to each section\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eProvides a wealth of suggestions for further reading and research\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003ePresents material that is both comprehensive and comprehensible\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\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 \u003cp\u003e“In this deep and thoughtful book, philosopher \u003cbr\u003ehttp:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/John_A._Leslie\" John Leslie and public sage http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Robert_Lawrence_Kuhn\" Robert Lawrence Kuhn organize, integrate, and reassess past and current ideas about this most compelling of metaphysical questions.” \u003cbr\u003e(\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 http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0470673559\/ref=s9_psimh_gw_p14_d0_i3\u003cbr\u003eThe Mystery of Existence: Why Is There Anything At All\u003ci\u003e?\u003c\/i\u003e, a very useful anthology of classic and contemporary readings.”  \u003cbr\u003e(\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.” \u003cbr\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.” \u003cbr\u003e(\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.\"\u003cbr\u003e(\u003ci\u003eMysterious Planet\u003c\/i\u003e, 1 June 2013)\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJohn Leslie\u003c\/b\u003e is University Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Guelph, Canada, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRobert Lawrence Kuhn\u003c\/b\u003e is a public intellectual and the creator and host of \u003ci\u003eCloser To Truth\u003c\/i\u003e, the long-running PBS \/ public television series on science and philosophy.   \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A skillful, comprehensive review of scientific, philosophical and theological attempts to answer ultimate questions of existence. What, if anything, came before the big bang? If our universe appeared from nothing in a law-like way, then where did the laws come from?\" \u003cb\u003ePaul Davies\u003c\/b\u003e, Director, BEYOND Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science, Arizona State University, Author of \u003ci\u003eThe Goldilocks Enigma: Why the Universe is Just Right for Life\u003c\/i\u003e  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Some of the best thought on what may be the most fundamental question of all: Why does anything exist? Readers won't find a definite answer – perhaps there isn't one that we're capable of understanding – but they will at least get a feel for the nature of the question.\" \u003cb\u003eMartin J. Rees\u003c\/b\u003e, Astronomer Royal (UK), Author of \u003ci\u003eJust Six Numbers: The Deep Forces that Shape the Universe\u003c\/i\u003e  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A very useful collection containing many of the most prominent responses to the question why there is something rather than nothing, with helpful introductions by the editors.\" \u003cb\u003eRichard Swinburne\u003c\/b\u003e, University of Oxford, Author of \u003ci\u003eThe Existence of God\u003c\/i\u003e  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"An indispensable resource for anyone who wants to think seriously about the questions, 'Why is there something – and not rather nothing?' and 'Why is there this something – and not rather some entirely different \"something\"?'\" \u003cb\u003ePeter van Inwagen\u003c\/b\u003e, the University of Notre Dame, Author of \u003ci\u003eExistence: Essays in Ontology\u003c\/i\u003e   \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Mystery of Existence\u003c\/i\u003e asks the haunting question: Why does \u003ci\u003eanything\u003c\/i\u003e exist? Anything of any kind, anywhere. The first edited volume to cover an extremely wide variety of solutions to what must be the ultimate mystery, it features dozens of luminaries. They range from Plato and Aristotle to Aquinas and Leibniz, and then to modern thinkers. These include physicists Stephen Hawking and Steven Weinberg, philosophers Robert Nozick and Derek Parfit, philosophers of religion Alvin Plantinga and Richard Swinburne, and the Dalai Lama. Some answers are philosophical, some are theological or religious, and yet others come from physics and cosmology – fields in which debate on the deep origin of all reality continues to rage. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhether you believe the universe began with a quantum-fluctuation big bang or in the creative consciousness of a divine designer, here is a feast for the mind. With enlightening introductions to each section, and offering a wealth of suggestions for further reading, \u003ci\u003eThe Mystery of Existence\u003c\/i\u003e provides general readers, students, and researchers with a readily accessible map of the many diverse paths humans have followed when confronted by the most baffling of all enigmas: Why is there something rather than nothing?     \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Recent discoveries in cosmology have led to a renewed surge of interest in ultimate questions of existence. What, if anything, came before the big bang? If the universe appeared from nothing in a law-like manner, then where did the laws come from, and why do they have the form that they do? Or is our universe but an infinitesimal fragment of an eternal, infinite sea of diverse laws and universes? This book provides a comprehensive review of attempts to grapple with such foundational questions, and skillfully charts the intersection of science, philosophy and theology. The authors have assembled an intellectual feast for all those who care about physical existence, the universe and our place within it.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e —Paul Davies, Director, BEYOND Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science, Arizona State University\u003cbr\u003e Author of \u003ci\u003eThe Goldilocks Enigma: Why the Universe is Just Right for Life\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “This book gathers together some of the best that has been thought and written on what may be the most fundamental question of all: Why does anything exist? Readers won’t find a definite answer – perhaps there isn’t one that we’re capable of understanding – but they will at least get a feel for the nature of the question. And in philosophy, understanding the question is in itself an important step\u003cbr\u003e forward.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e —Martin J. Rees, Astronomer Royal (UK)\u003cbr\u003e Author of \u003ci\u003eJust Six Numbers: The Deep Forces that Shape the Universe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “A very useful collection containing many of the most prominent responses to the question why there is something rather than nothing, with helpful introductions by the editors.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e —Richard Swinburne, University of Oxford\u003cbr\u003e Author of \u003ci\u003eThe Existence of God\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “This book will be an indispensable resource for anyone who wants to think seriously about the questions, ‘Why is there something – and not rather nothing?’ and ‘Why is there \u003ci\u003ethis\u003c\/i\u003e something – and not rather some entirely different “something”?’”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e —Peter van Inwagen, the University of Notre Dame\u003cbr\u003e Author of \u003ci\u003eExistence: Essays in Ontology\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wiley-Blackwell","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47990291693797,"sku":"NP9780470673553","price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780470673553.jpg?v=1761787229","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/the-mystery-of-existence-isbn-9780470673553","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}