What is reality? While as old as thought itself, this question assumes new urgency in modern and postmodern thought and culture. In an increasingly complex world where reality and appearance, the fashioned and the discovered and the real and the virtual are becoming indistinguishable, does it any longer make sense to think about the real? Or does thinking about the real become unavoidable? This investigation will probe the problem of the real through a careful reading of the writings of three major philosophers: Hegel, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche. Far from provoking mere historical interest, these thinkers present compelling perspectives, which represent distinct alternatives for understanding the world in which we dwell. Requirements: a final research paper. Prerequisites: at least one course in Religion, Philosophy, or Literary Theory. Enrollment limit: 20 (expected: 20). This course may not be taken on a pass/fail basis.