Offers a study of the origins of all that exists, including explanations of the entire material world. This title traces the responses of philosophers and scientists to the most elemental and haunting question of all: Why is anything here - or anything anywhere? Why is there something rather than nothing? Why not nothing?

About the Editors vii Acknowledgments viii 1 General Introduction 1 2 Some Quotations 13 Leibniz, Kant 13 Schopenhauer, William James, George Santayana, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Bertrand Russell, J.J.C. Smart 14 John A. Wheeler, Stephen Hawking, Steven Weinberg 15 3 Possible Responses to “Why Anything?” 16 Nicholas Rescher 16 4 First Solution: A Blank is Absurd 18 Editorial Introduction 18 F.H. Bradley, Henri Bergson 24 Bede Rundle 25 David Lewis 26 Peter Unger 30 Steven Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow 39 5 Second Solution: No Explanation Needed 41 Editorial Introduction 41 Epicurus 46 David Hume 47 Fred Hoyle 49 W.B. Bonnor 51 Bertrand Russell and F.C. Copleston 53 Adolf Grünbaum 56 6 Third Solution: Chance 71 Editorial Introduction 71 Alan H. Guth 77 Stephen Hawking 82 Alex Vilenkin 90 Martin Rees 98 Peter van Inwagen 98 7 Fourth Solution: Value/Perfection as Ultimate 101 Editorial Introduction 101 Plato 109 Aristotle 110 Plotinus 111 St. Thomas Aquinas 112 St. Anselm 113 René Descartes 114 Alvin Plantinga 115 Benedict Spinoza 118 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz 119 G.W.F. Hegel 122 A.C. Ewing 123 Keith Ward 125 John Polkinghorne 125 John Leslie 126 8 Fifth Solution: Mind/Consciousness as Ultimate 142 Editorial Introduction 142 Richard Swinburne 147 Timothy O’Connor 153 William Lane Craig 155 Sayyed Hossein Nasr 159 Tenzin Gyatso, Dalai Lama XIV 160 Andrei Linde 161 Paul Davies 163 9 Fine-Tuning and Multiple Universes 171 Editorial Introduction 171 John Polkinghorne 178 Leonard Susskind 189 Steven Weinberg 192 Max Tegmark 194 Robin A. Collins 207 10 The Problem Seems Genuine 211 Editorial Introduction 211 Derek Parfit 220 Robert Nozick 238 Robert Lawrence Kuhn 246 Michael Heller 278 Nicholas Rescher 284 Bibliography and Further Reading 289 Index of Names 310 Index of Concepts 313

"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?" Paul Davies, Director, BEYOND Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science, Arizona State University, Author of The Goldilocks Enigma: Why the Universe is Just Right for Life "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." Martin J. Rees, Astronomer Royal (UK), Author of Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces that Shape the Universe "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." Richard Swinburne, University of Oxford, Author of The Existence of God "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"?'" Peter van Inwagen, the University of Notre Dame, Author of Existence: Essays in Ontology The Mystery of Existence asks the haunting question: Why does anything 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. Whether 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, The Mystery of Existence 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?

“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.”  (Metapsychology, 13 August 2013) “And now John Leslie and Robert Lawrence Kuhn have published The Mystery of Existence: Why Is There Anything At All?, a very useful anthology of classic and contemporary readings.”  (First Things, 24 July 2013) “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.  The Mystery of Existence.  (There really isn't anything to concern us.).”  (New Nurturing Potential, 1 July 2013) “I certainly recommend it, but it is not the sort of book you would buy to read in the train.”  (Magonia Blog, 6 June 2013) "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."  (Mysterious Planet, 1 June 2013)  

“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.” —Paul Davies, Director, BEYOND Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science, Arizona State University Author of The Goldilocks Enigma: Why the Universe is Just Right for Life “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 forward.” —Martin J. Rees, Astronomer Royal (UK) Author of Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces that Shape the Universe “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.” —Richard Swinburne, University of Oxford Author of The Existence of God “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 this something – and not rather some entirely different “something”?’” —Peter van Inwagen, the University of Notre Dame Author of Existence: Essays in Ontology

About the Editors vi Acknowledgments vii 1 General Introduction 1 2 Some Quotations 13 3 Possible Responses to "Why Anything?" 16 4 First Solution: A Blank is Absurd 18 5 Second Solution: No Explanation Needed 41 6 Third Solution: Chance 71 7 Fourth Solution: Value/Perfection as Ultimate 101 8 Fifth Solution: Mind/Consciousness as Ultimate 142 9 Fine-Tuning and Multiple Universes 171 10 The Problem Seems Genuine 211 Bibliography and Further Reading 289 Index of Names 310 Index of Concepts 313