Ontological Pluralism, the Gradation of Being, and the Question "Why Is There Something Rather Than Nothing?"

Ontological pluralism is the view that there are modes of being, ways of existing, or different ways to be something. Ontological pluralism is an intriguing and alluring doctrine, despite its present unpopularity. ¹ If it is true, many metaphysical questions must be rethought. One of these is the question of why there is something rather than nothing.