  What exists at the fundamental level of reality? On the standard picture, the
fundamental reality contains (among other things) fundamental matter, such as
particles, fields, or even the quantum state. Non-fundamental facts are
explained by facts about fundamental matter, at least in part. In this paper, I
introduce a non-standard picture called the "cosmic void" in which the universe
is devoid of any fundamental material ontology. Facts about tables and chairs
are recovered from a special kind of laws that satisfy strong determinism. All
non-fundamental facts are completely explained by nomic facts. I discuss a
concrete example of this picture in a strongly deterministic version of the
many-worlds theory of quantum mechanics. I discuss some philosophical and
scientific challenges to this view, as well as some connections to ontological
nihilism.
