The main social condition responsible for the appearance of the varieties of metaphysics discussed in this chapter is once again the decline of Christianity. The philosophies of Heidegger and Sartre are in many respects a simple inversion of Christian metaphysics. While Christian philosophy strove to attain fullness of being and thus everlasting life, Heidegger and Sartre raise the possibility that we are more fundamentally beings that lack being. Having turned their backs on a God above to search for one within they discover nothingness, though this nothingness is often so fascinating that we can almost forgive it for not being more.