The possible is a lack constitutive of consciousness itself

Evidence

The outline of a presence-to-itself as that which is lacking to the for-itself is what constitutes the being of the for-itself as the foundation of its own nothingness. The possible is an absence constitutive of consciousness in so far as consciousness itself makes itself. Thirst—for example—is never sufficiently thirst inasmuch as it makes itself thirst; it is haunted by the presence of the Self of Thirst-itself. But in so far as it is haunted by this concrete value, it puts itself in question in its being as lacking a certain For-itself which would realize it as satisfied thirst and which would confer on it being-in-itself. This lacking For-itself is the Possible. — Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness, 385

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines ‘the possible’ as the absent for-itself that would realize the current for-itself—a core term in Sartre’s ontology of consciousness.
• XREF: connects to: Absence is not given by objects but posited by a consciousness that negates; Lack is not accidental to human reality but constitutes its original mode of being. — Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness: An Essay on…, 360; Human reality arises as a lack of an impossible self-totality — Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness: An Essay on…, 362 (+7 more)

Broader Connections

• Consciousness is defined as a lack or desire for Being #expands (0.95) — Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness, 1460