'Why is there something rather than nothing?' is a question that is arguably as old as philosophy itself. Nevertheless, despite the fact that it is of perennial philosophical, scientific, and religious interest, it receives less attention than many other classic questions in philosophy. And despite continued fascination with 'the Question', and its status as one of the great intellectual mysteries, there are few academic book-length discussions of the subject. This book serves as the definitive guide to the Question. It includes a discussion of the proper interpretation of the Question, whether it can be expected to have an answer, an overview of the major answers which have been proposed, and, most significantly, a new and innovative explanation for why there is something rather than nothing.

‘Why is There Something Rather than Nothing? might be the deepest of all questions, and is fuel for disputes which can get very heated. Brenner is an expert, open-minded guide to the battlefield and casts interesting new light on it.'

John Leslie - University of Guelph and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada