Alexius Meinong Ritter von Handschuchsheim (German: [ˈmaɪnɔŋ]; 17 July 1853 – 27 November 1920) was an Austrian philosopher, a realist known for his unique ontology and theory of objects.

In 1870, he entered the University of Vienna law school where he was drawn to Carl Menger's lectures on economics.

Meinong supervised the doctorates of Christian von Ehrenfels (founder of Gestalt psychology) and Adalbert Meingast, as well as the habilitation of Alois Höfler and Anton Oelzelt-Newin.

Historically, Meinong has been treated, especially by Gilbert Ryle,[15]: 8–9  as an eccentric whose theory of objects was allegedly dealt a severe blow in Bertrand Russell's essay "On Denoting" (1905) (see Russellian view).

However, Russell himself thought highly of the vast majority of Meinong's work and, until formulating his theory of descriptions, held similar views about nonexistent objects.

Closer readers of his work, however, accept that Meinong held the view that objects are "indifferent to being"[18] and that they stand "beyond being and non-being".

[9] Meinong holds that objects can be divided into three categories on the basis of their ontological status.

The result that everything absists allows Meinong to deal with our ability to affirm the non-being (Nichtsein) of an object.