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H-Buddhism NEW BOOK> Jan Westerhoff, "The Non-Existence of the Real World" Discussion published by Jan Westerhoff on Friday, May 15, 2020 Dear Colleagues, Some of you may be interested in this book, which has just come out. Jan Westerhoff, The Non-Existence of the Real World, Oxford University Press, 2020, 384 pp, ISBN: 9780198847915 https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-non-existence-of-the-real-world-9780198847915 While the book contains very few references to Indian philosophical material (one, to be precise), it does attempt to provide a systematic defence of some key positions of Madhyamaka thought and might, for this reason, be of interest to some members of this list. Here is the blurb and table of contents. "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." 1: The non-existence of the external world 2: The non-existence of the internal world 3: The non-existence of ontological foundations 4: The non-existence of foundational truths Very best wishes Jan Westerhoff ************************** Citation: Jan Westerhoff. NEW BOOK> Jan Westerhoff, "The Non-Existence of the Real World". H-Buddhism. 05-15-2020. https://networks.h-net.org/node/6060/discussions/6156908/new-book-non-existence-real-world Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 1 H-Buddhism JC Westerhoff Professor of Buddhist Philosophy Lady Margaret Hall University of Oxford Norham Gardens Oxford OX2 6QA United Kingdom [email protected] www.janwesterhoff.net Citation: Jan Westerhoff. NEW BOOK> Jan Westerhoff, "The Non-Existence of the Real World". H-Buddhism. 05-15-2020. https://networks.h-net.org/node/6060/discussions/6156908/new-book-non-existence-real-world Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 2.

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