Sometimes, we find ourselves struck with wonder and awe at the realization that, instead of nothing, there is something. A diverse array of thinkers, across both Western and Eastern philosophical traditions, have offered detailed accounts of this experience, placing it at the core of their work. The purpose of this special issue is to gather philosophical refections on the nature of this experience and its implications.
In what follows, we outline some themes that contributors may wish to explore, but we welcome all papers that focus on the experience of suddenly realizing the astonishing fact that there is something rather than nothing.
• Discovering existence often evokes a sense of wonder, yet reports of this experience also reveal more unsettling emotions such as horror, anxiety, and nausea. What accounts for this variety of emotional reactions? Are there appropriate or inappropriate emotions in the face of the mystery of existence? What role do emotions play in this experience? Can one truly understand what it means for the world to be without feeling in some specific way? What is the connection, if any, between wonder at the existence of the world and philosophical wonder (Plato and Aristotle’s thauma) more broadly?
• According to Wittgenstein, the experience of wonder at the existence of the world reveals the mystical—namely, the fact that the world is, as opposed to how the world is (Tractatus 6.44). This experience, in Wittgenstein’s early thought, is crucial for understanding the most fundamental aspects of ethics and aesthetics. Is Wittgenstein right? Is there a connection between ethics, aesthetics, and the experience of existence?
• Heidegger refers to the “wonder of all wonders,” the revelation that beings are, which is disclosed through Angst in the experience of nothingness. What is the role of nothingness in this experience? Can the being of beings be apprehended without the contrasting revelation of nothingness? What is it like to experience nothingness?
• Most philosophical inquiries into being and nothingness (e.g., Parmenides, Hegel, Heidegger) have examined these two “phenomena” together. What is the relationship between them? Can one truly grasp the meaning of being without understanding the meaning of nothingness, and vice versa? Is the notion of nothingness, as Bergson suggested, dispensable for philosophical reflection, or does it play an essential and ineliminable role in our cognitive and emotional relationship to the world?
• Scheler argued that the experience of wonder at the existence of the world is possible only if certain moral preconditions are met. In his view, humility and a love for truth are necessary to strip away the taken-for-granted character we typically project onto the being of beings. Is Scheler right? What, if any, are the moral preconditions that might enhance or impede our sensitivity to the astonishing fact that there is something rather than nothing? Can there be practices to cultivate such moral preconditions? More generally, can there be practices that create the conditions for this experience to occur?
• This experience has played a central role in Western philosophy. But if, as some suggest, this experience is a fundamental event in human life, then it may also play a crucial role in other philosophical and cultural contexts, albeit conceptualized diferently. What, then, is the connection between this experience and other mystical experiences? Are there affinities between this experience and experiential breakthroughs in Eastern philosophies? Are there parallels between the experience of being (and nothingness) as conceptualized in the West, and the experiences of kensho or satori in Zen Buddhism? In both traditions, some form of nothingness is invoked to explain these experiential breakthroughs. Are they describing the same experience, or at least experiences belonging to the same family? If so, what does this suggest about the dialogue between Eastern and Western thought on being, nothingness, and the quest to solve the riddle of life?
• Those who have lived and described this experience report that it has played a fundamental role in their lives. What are the existential implications of such an experience? What does it teach us about the meaning of life? Is there a connection between this experience and the tendency toward nihilism? What role does this experience play in education? Is there a link between this experience and human sufering? Is this experience the source of existential suffering, the remedy for it, or both?
We welcome submissions from authors within all philosophical traditions. If you are unsure whether your paper aligns with the aims of this special issue, please do not hesitate to contact us. In addressing the topics of this special issue, each author will refer to some description of the experience of being and nothingness. While classical accounts of this experience will be referenced, we encourage all authors to also explicitly draw upon their own personal experiences.
Abstracts and papers must be submitted to the following e-mail addresses: metodo@sdvigpress.org
Submitted papers (in English, German, French, Spanish or Italian) must follow the basic principles of Metodo and follow all Author Guidelines. The editorial board highly suggests all authors writing in a non-native language to have their texts proofread before submission. All contributions will undergo anonymous peer-review by two referees.
The fnal deadline for submissions will be October 31, 2025.