Non-Being: New Essays on the Metaphysics of Nonexistence

by Sara Bernstein (editor), Tyron Goldschmidt (Editor)

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.

Genres: Metaphysics

346 pages, Hardcover

Published May 18, 2021

Reviews

[Guenevera]

*Ch. 1: Just like there are different modes of being, there are different modes of non-being ("ontological pluralism" of non-being). Consider: time, absences, fictional objects.

*Ch. 2: Nothingness is fundamental to reality. Cf. Heidegger and Nishida

Ch. 3: Night is older than day.

Ch. 4: There are fundamental negative existential facts.

Ch. 5: The world does not not exist.

Ch. 6: There are no truth or facts (on some Buddhist views).

Ch. 7: Some predicates - like "is a tree" - don't apply to reality. Mindfuck.

Ch. 8: o o o o h C O M O S I S A V O I D

Ch. 9: Holes are real, influential, and important.

*Ch. 10: Something comes from [some kinds of] nothing.

Ch. 11: There isn't not anything.

*Ch. 12: It is possible that ostriches exist.

**Ch. 13: Nonsense has some sense.

**Ch. 14: I can too love my imaginary fwend.

*Ch. 15: I commit what I omit.

*Ch. 16: Sins of omission have something to do with non-existence so long as it's not nothing.

Ch. 17: Epicurus was mostly right de morte non timenda.

[Thémis Lê Quan Phong · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the article about Pluralism Ontology about Non-being. The article on holes is also pretty funny. I have nothing else to say right now, which happens to be pretty much on topic.