Sartre's Being and Nothingness

Sartre's *Being and Nothingness* explores human existence by examining how we create our identity through choices and consciousness. He distinguishes between "being" (things that exist independently) and "being-for-itself" (self-aware humans), emphasizing that we continuously shape ourselves by how we interpret our freedom. Sartre argues that our awareness of ourselves (our "nothingness") allows us to transcend fixed roles, enabling authentic free will. The book highlights the dynamic tension between our desire for meaning and the underlying freedom that makes that meaning uncertain, portraying existence as a constant act of self-creation amid the absence of predetermined essence.