Being and Nothingness

by Jean-Paul Sartre, Sarah Richmond (Translator)

Overview

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, 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 to 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781982105440
Publisher:	Atria Books
Publication date:	09/07/2021
Pages:	928
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 6.40(h) x 2.70(d)

About the Author

Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980) was the foremost French thinker and writer of the post-WWII years. His books have exerted enormous influence in philosophy, literature, art, and politics.

Sarah Richmond is Senior Lecturer at University College London. She received her PhD in philosophy from Oxford University. She coedits the academic journal, Sartre Studies International.

Table of Contents

	Translator's Preface	vii
	Translator's Introduction	viii
	Introduction: The Pursuit of Being	xlv
Part 1	The Problem of Nothingness
Chapter 1	The Origin of Negation	3
I.	The Question	3
II.	Negations	6
III.	The Dialectical Concept of Nothingness	12
IV.	The Phenomenological Concept of Nothingness	16
V.	The Origin of Nothingness	21
Part 2	Being-for-Itself
Chapter 1	Immediate Structures of the For-Itself	49
I.	Presence to Self	49
II.	The Facticity of the For-Itself	55
III.	The For-Itself and the Being of Value	60
IV.	The For-Itself and the Being of Possibilities	71
V.	The Self and the Circuit of Selfness	78
Chapter 2	Temporality	83
I.	Phenomenology of the Three Temporal Dimensions	83
II.	The Ontology of Temporality	106
III.	Original Temporality and Psychic Temporality: Reflection	126
Chapter 3	Transcendence	147
I.	Knowledge as a Type of Relation Between the For-Itself and the In-Itself	148
II.	Determination as Negation	156
III.	Quality and Quantity Potentiality, Instrumentality	162
IV.	The Time of the World	180
V.	Knowledge	192
Part 3	Being-for-Others
Chapter 1	The Existence of Others	197
I.	The Problem	197
II.	The Reef of Solipsism	199
III.	Husserl, Hegel, Heidegger	209
IV.	The Look	228
Chapter 2	The Body	279
I.	The Body as Being-For-Itself: Facticity	282
II.	The Body-For-Others	315
III.	The Third Ontological Dimension of the Body	327
Chapter 3	Concrete Relations With Others	337
I.	First Attitude Toward Others: Love, Language, Masochism	340
II.	Second Attitude Toward Others: Indifference, Desire, Hate, Sadism	355
III.	"Being-With" (Mitsein) and the "We"	389
Part 4	Having, Doing and Being
Chapter 1	Being and Doing: Freedom	409
I.	Freedom: The First Condition of Action	409
II.	Freedom and Facticity: The Situation	457
III.	Freedom and Responsibility	529
	Conclusion
I.	In-Itself and For-Itself: Metaphysical Implications	535
II.	Ethical Implications	543
	Key to Special Terminology	547

Editorial Reviews

Sartre’s philosophy will always be important. Being and Nothingness is not an easy read but Sarah Richmond makes it accessible in English to the general reader. Her translation is exemplary in its clarity.

Richard Eyre

With its scholarly introduction, up-to-date bibliography and numerous footnotes, Richmond’s fluent and precise translation will be an indispensable tool even for scholars able to read Sartre in French.

Andrew Leak

Sarah Richmond’s marvellously clear and thoughtful new translation brings Sartre’s rich, infuriating, endlessly fertile masterpiece to a whole new English-language readership.

Sarah Bakewell

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

This fine new translation provides us with as crisp a rendering as possible of Sartre’s complex prose. Richmond’s introduction, and a panoply of informative notes, also invite readers to share with her the intricacies of the task of translation and assist in grasping many of the conceptual vocabularies and nuances of this vital text.

Sonia Kruks

A new translation of Being and Nothingness has been long overdue. Sarah Richmond has done an excellent job of translating and clarifying Sartre’s magnum opus, making its rich content accessible to a wider audience.

Dan Zahavi

Sarah Richmond’s translation of this ground-zero existentialist text is breathtaking. Having developed a set of brilliant translation principles, laid out carefully in her introductory notes, she has produced a version of Sartre’s magnum opus that – finally! – renders his challenging philosophical prose comprehensible to the curious general reader and his most compelling phenomenological descriptions and analyses luminous and thrilling for those of us who have studied Being and Nothingness for years.

Nancy Bauer

This superb new translation is an extraordinary resource for Sartre scholars, including those who can read the work in French. Not only has Sarah Richmond produced an outstandingly accurate and fluent translation, but her extensive notes, introduction, and editorial comments ensure that the work will be turned to for clarification by all readers of Sartre. All in all, this is a major philosophical moment in Sartre studies.

Christina Howells

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