The concept of essence is fundamental in existential philosophy. Existentialists view all reality, including man, only as an object, “essence,” “existence” in deep knowledge. In relation to a person, he acquires his essence (“existence”) throughout his life. Jean-Paul Sartre (1905 – 1980), the largest representative of existentialism, conducted a comprehensive analysis of essences in various manifestations. However, another representative of existentialism, Albert Camus (1913 - 1960), accused Sartre of deliberately complicating the problem and argued that he was able to come closer to the real essence of man than other researchers succeeded. The book presents the most significant works of Sartre and Camus on this topic.< /p>