学術的に扱いにくい「本質」「本質主義」を思考するための最前線の認識を全編書き下ろしの33章でレビューする。「歴史」「本質と本質主義：主題と変奏」「応用」「反本質主義的挑戦」の4部構成で、それぞれ序文と要約を置いて手厚く議論をフォロー。This Handbook surveys the state of the art on essence. Core issues about essence are discussed in 33 chapters, all of them written exclusively for this volume by leading experts. They are organized into the following four major parts, each with its own introduction that provides a summary and comparison of the part's chapters: History; Essence and Essentialisms: Themes and Variations; Applications; Anti-Essentialist Challenges.