Abstract
This article maintains that Jean-Paul Sartre’s early masterwork, Being and
Nothingness, is primarily concerned with developing an original approach to
the being of consciousness. Sartre’s ontology resituates the Cartesian cogito
in a complete system that provides a new understanding of negation and a
dynamic interpretation of human existence. The article examines the role of
consciousness, temporality and the relationship between self and others in the
light of Sartre’s arguments against “classical” rationalism. The conclusion suggests
that Sartre’s departure from modern foundationalism has “postmodern”
implications that emerge in the areas of ontology, existential analytics and the
ethics of human freedom.