Transcendence, the condition of being that is outside or beyond, is an essential characteristic of Sartre’s philosophy. In Being and Nothingness (1943) Sartre makes an important distinction between being-in-itself and being-for-itself. Being-in-itself refers to being that simply is what it is and refers to all non-conscious being that can be defined by its essence. It exists independently in-itself. The other type of being posited by Sartre, being-for-itself, describes self-conscious beings that are distanced from being in their unique ability to question their own existence. Unlike being-in-itself, being-for-itself has no fixed or essential essence to determine its character.