--- product_id: 381633170 title: "Being and Nothingness" price: "£25.13" currency: GBP in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/381633170-being-and-nothingness store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # Being and Nothingness **Price:** £25.13 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Being and Nothingness - **How much does it cost?** £25.13 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/381633170-being-and-nothingness) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Revisit one of the most important pillars in modern philosophy with this new English translation—the first in more than 60 years—of Jean-Paul Sartre’s seminal treatise on existentialism. “This is a philosophy to be reckoned with, both for its own intrinsic power and as a profound symptom of our time” ( The New York Times ). In 1943, Jean-Paul Sartre published his masterpiece, Being and Nothingness , and laid the foundation of his legacy as one of the greatest twentieth century philosophers. A brilliant and radical account of the human condition, Being and Nothingness explores what gives our lives significance. In a new and more accessible translation, this foundational text argues that we alone create our values and our existence is characterized by freedom and the inescapability of choice. Far from being an internal, passive container for our thoughts and experiences, human consciousness is constantly projecting itself into the outside world and imbuing it with meaning. Now with a new foreword by Harvard professor of philosophy Richard Moran, this clear-eyed translation guarantees that the groundbreaking ideas that Sartre introduced in this resonant work will continue to inspire for generations to come. Review: An Exhaustive Inquiry into Ontology - Jean-Paul Sartre's "Being and Nothingness" is the fundamental text of Existentialism. His examination of ontology constantly reviews previous existential philosophy by building on, and refuting, the work of prior philosophers. Sartre begins with a framework on nothingness and negations. Nothingness does not have being but is supported by being. It comes into existence through the for-itself and allows consciousness to exist. Negations are acts which contain negativity as part of their structure (ex: absence.) He then progresses to an examination of Bad Faith. This is essentially a false consciousness which a person pursues to flee from their own freedom. The most theoretically important part of the book regarding ontology is Sartre's explanation of Being-for-itself and Being-for-others. Being-for-itself is an examination of the works of Descartes, Husserl, etc, into the nature of the individuals being and consciousness. "The Other" is a concept from Hegel that Sartre alters to explain others around us. For Sartre "The Other" is in a constant battle to deprive the other person of their freedom without extinguishing their being. The second half of his treatise deals with issues mostly empirical in nature. Sartre has an impeccable knowledge of philosophy and the physical science up to 1943 (philosophy, biology, psychology, pyschics, etc..) He uses the theory of ontology to reexamine empirical issues where he finds scientific fields lacking. In the end Sartre devises a `Existential Psychoanalysis' (Existentialism) to examine psychological phenomenon through an ontological lens. For Sartre humans are thrown into the world, in a situation, but have absolute freedom over choice. They are responsible for their choice. Whether they chose to actively pursue something or passively submit THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE. This responsibility is not meant as an ethical judgment but rather a statement of fact. Sartre almost completely eschews ethical judgments in "Being and Nothingness." His objective throughout the work is to explain the ontological foundation of being. He reserves 2 pages at the end of the book discussing ethics. His advice is to strive for a synthesis of the being-in-itself with the being-for-itself (a true single consciousness between body and mind.) A person can then strive to attain their values (which are subjective in nature.) Note: Sartre assumes his readers have read essentially every existential philosopher since Plato. He gives brief descriptions of each philosopher's theory but I strongly recommend you read their work before "Being and Nothingness." Sartre also uses incredibly obtuse language (which is made worse through translation.) While not as bad as other philosophers his work forces the person to actively read everything he says. Sartre commands an excellent understanding of science but actively rejects some of its most basic premises because science fails to ask the right questions. While some of the science he talks about has long been disproven for the most part his understanding of science remains valid. Note #2: I read the Gramercy edition. I strongly recommend "Being and Nothingness" to anyone interested in ontology with a strong background in philosophy and the psychical sciences. Review: Great Read! - Very dense, and will require rereading of some paragraphs, but if you're into the subject of modern philosophy it is a worthwhile effort! ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #21,829 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #4 in Philosophy Criticism (Books) #6 in Free Will & Determinism Philosophy #8 in Existentialist Philosophy | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,137 Reviews | ## Images ![Being and Nothingness - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61dYP3hoDQL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An Exhaustive Inquiry into Ontology *by R***S on August 13, 2011* Jean-Paul Sartre's "Being and Nothingness" is the fundamental text of Existentialism. His examination of ontology constantly reviews previous existential philosophy by building on, and refuting, the work of prior philosophers. Sartre begins with a framework on nothingness and negations. Nothingness does not have being but is supported by being. It comes into existence through the for-itself and allows consciousness to exist. Negations are acts which contain negativity as part of their structure (ex: absence.) He then progresses to an examination of Bad Faith. This is essentially a false consciousness which a person pursues to flee from their own freedom. The most theoretically important part of the book regarding ontology is Sartre's explanation of Being-for-itself and Being-for-others. Being-for-itself is an examination of the works of Descartes, Husserl, etc, into the nature of the individuals being and consciousness. "The Other" is a concept from Hegel that Sartre alters to explain others around us. For Sartre "The Other" is in a constant battle to deprive the other person of their freedom without extinguishing their being. The second half of his treatise deals with issues mostly empirical in nature. Sartre has an impeccable knowledge of philosophy and the physical science up to 1943 (philosophy, biology, psychology, pyschics, etc..) He uses the theory of ontology to reexamine empirical issues where he finds scientific fields lacking. In the end Sartre devises a `Existential Psychoanalysis' (Existentialism) to examine psychological phenomenon through an ontological lens. For Sartre humans are thrown into the world, in a situation, but have absolute freedom over choice. They are responsible for their choice. Whether they chose to actively pursue something or passively submit THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE. This responsibility is not meant as an ethical judgment but rather a statement of fact. Sartre almost completely eschews ethical judgments in "Being and Nothingness." His objective throughout the work is to explain the ontological foundation of being. He reserves 2 pages at the end of the book discussing ethics. His advice is to strive for a synthesis of the being-in-itself with the being-for-itself (a true single consciousness between body and mind.) A person can then strive to attain their values (which are subjective in nature.) Note: Sartre assumes his readers have read essentially every existential philosopher since Plato. He gives brief descriptions of each philosopher's theory but I strongly recommend you read their work before "Being and Nothingness." Sartre also uses incredibly obtuse language (which is made worse through translation.) While not as bad as other philosophers his work forces the person to actively read everything he says. Sartre commands an excellent understanding of science but actively rejects some of its most basic premises because science fails to ask the right questions. While some of the science he talks about has long been disproven for the most part his understanding of science remains valid. Note #2: I read the Gramercy edition. I strongly recommend "Being and Nothingness" to anyone interested in ontology with a strong background in philosophy and the psychical sciences. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great Read! *by R***J on January 25, 2024* Very dense, and will require rereading of some paragraphs, but if you're into the subject of modern philosophy it is a worthwhile effort! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Favorite book all time *by D***E on April 14, 2017* I love this book and I would say it's thoroughly rich source of complicated philosophy...also i would like to add that when i was is in college my first philosophy class was the first time i ever thought about things in a completely different way and until i read or heard about jean paul sartre that started my life down a path of enlightenment through reading specifically sartre and nietzsche hegel husserl hume also i found myself being able to work out my reading disorder which was dyslexia it took about two years of reading and learning philosophy but i was able to orient myself towards literacy and it has changed my life so much... ## Frequently Bought Together - Being and Nothingness - Existentialism Is a Humanism - The Myth of Sisyphus (Vintage International) --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/381633170-being-and-nothingness](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/381633170-being-and-nothingness) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-06-21*