Does the real world, defined as a world of objects that exist independent of human interests, concerns, and cognitive activities, actually exist? Jan Westerhoff argues that we have good reason to believe it does not. He draws on the philosophy of Madhyamaka Buddhism, but defends his stance in a Western philosophical framework.

Does the real world, defined as a world of objects that exist independent of human interests, concerns, and cognitive activities, really exist? Jan Westerhoff argues that we have good reason to believe it does not. His discussion considers four main facets of the idea of the real world, ranging from the existence of a separate external and internal world (comprising various mental states congregated around a self), to the existence of an ontological foundation that grounds the existence of all the entities in the world, and the existence of an ultimately true theory that provides a final account of all there is. As Westerhoff discusses the reasons for rejecting the postulation of an external world behind our representations, he asserts that the internal world is not as epistemically transparent as is usually assumed, and that there are good reasons for adopting an anti-foundational account of ontological dependence. Drawing on conclusions from the ancient Indian philosophical system of Madhyamaka Buddhism, Westerhoff defends his stance in a purely Western philosophical framework, and affirms that ontology, and philosophy more generally, need not be conceived as providing an ultimately true theory of the world.

Nonexistence is ubiquitous, yet mysterious. This volume explores some of the most puzzling questions about non-being and nonexistence, and offers answers from diverse philosophical perspectives. The contributors draw on analytic, continental, Buddhist, and Jewish philosophical traditions, and the topics range from metaphysics to ethics, from philosophy of science to philosophy of language, and beyond.

In this astonishing and profound work, an irreverent sleuth traces the riddleof existence from the ancient world to modern times.

Arguments for the existence of God have taken many different forms over the centuries: in The Non-Existence of God, Everitt considers all the arguments and examines the role that reason and knowledge play in the debate over God's existence.

This is the complete and critical translation into English of Controversy over the Existence of the World by the Polish phenomenologist Roman Ingarden (1893-1970), student and critic of Husserl. Volume I of his three-volume opus magnum offers a fundamental ontological analysis of the modes of being of various types of objects.