"A majestic thought experiment."
—Slavoj Zizek
"It is a rare gift to be able to philosophize from the first principles in a way that is neither patronizingly derivative nor technically arcane and in a manner that is accessible to the general reader. But Gabriel possesses that gift in bucketloads."
—Simon Critchley, New School for Social Research
"Imagine a philosopher. This philosopher has the verve and pop-culture curiosity of Slavoj Zizek; Graham Priest's comfort with unresolved ambiguity; the transparent prose of John Gray; and Martin Heidegger's nose for the faint scent of being. Your imagined thinker is Markus Gabriel, and his book is Why the World Does Not Exist."
—Sydney Morning Herald
"This delightful book, translated by Gregory Moss, upholds Wittgenstein's remark that 'whatever can be said at all can be said clearly'."
—The Guardian
"Gabriel has written a gripping thriller, which is of course what all good philosophy should be."
—Die Literarische Welt
"Markus Gabriel shows with great verve how to tackle fundamental philosophical questions, without being overly academic or dumbing down his subject matter."
—Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
"With great wit and intellectual provocation, Markus Gabriel explores the perennial questions of humanity."
—Der Spiegel
"Why the World Does Not Exist, is confirmation… that modern works of German philosophy can be both profound and successful."
—Foreign Policy