In existential thought, the human condition is characterized by a fundamental ambiguity. This approach, which developed from the ideas of philosophers like Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche and was significantly influenced by Edmund Husserl's phenomenology before being popularized by figures such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus, centers on subjective human experience and the belief that existence precedes essence. This means that human beings lack a predetermined nature or purpose. Ambiguity, within this context, is a multifaceted concept. Simone de Beauvoir uses the notion of ambiguity to refer to the existential fact that humans are simultaneously objects within the world and subjects conscious of that world. We experience ourselves both as an "internality against which no external power can take hold" and as a "thing in the world", material, visible, and vulnerable objects. Sartre's interpretation of ambiguity emphasizes the temporal tension between facticity (what we currently are) and transcendence (what we are about to be). He defines man as "a being whose being is not to be," a subjectivity that realizes itself as a presence in the world and an engaged freedom. Human existence is a project or becoming, not a fixed substance. Man makes himself a "lack of being" so that there might be being. This inherent ambiguity is intrinsically linked to human freedom and the necessity of choice. Because there is no predefined essence or fixed nature, individuals are free and responsible for creating themselves through their choices. Freedom is realized within concrete situations and in relation with others and is made manifest by the constant possibility of failure. This original choice, which operates in the face of the world and is a choice of position within it, is total and prior to logic. The contingency of this choice is the reverse side of its freedom. Embracing ambiguity argues for the response-ability to accept and embrace one's ambiguity in order to live an "authentic," or ethical, life. For existentialism, "to will oneself free" has a positive and concrete meaning, and it is precisely because an evil will is possible that this willing of freedom has meaning. However, this freedom and ambiguity also lead to profound anxiety and uncertainty. Existential anxiety arises from the constant confrontation with the transitional nature of our self-structure and worldview, where certainty becomes uncertain and meaning becomes meaningless. People often construct defenses against this existential anxiety and ontological uncertainty. Ambiguity signals trouble, uncertainty, and indecision, as we cannot be sure what will happen or what the outcome of our actions will be. This uncertainty of the world, as reported by reason, and the uncertainty suffered by the will, grow and recede together. This situation, where anything can mean something else for reflection, makes possible both sophistry and authentic existence, lying grounded in the "endless ambiguity of all existence and action for us". The paradoxical passion of the understanding constantly runs into the unknown, and transcendence, while immanent, remains in an "unlimited ambiguity" and cannot be grasped with any finality. The existential response to this condition is not to attempt to eliminate ambiguity and seek absolute certainty, but rather to accept and embrace it. Beauvoir argues that this condition should not be regarded as undesirable or a flaw to be eliminated. Instead, ideally, we should embrace and live our ambiguity. This embrace is necessary for realizing one's freedom and is fundamental to living an authentic and ethical life. Embracing ambiguity means assuming oneself not as a fixed existence, but rather as a "lack of being," which elicits a space for being to unfold. It involves embracing the inevitable imperfections, suffering, and entropy inherent in existence. The ability to embrace ambiguity is seen as a characteristic of the collectively felt human experience, especially in navigating fundamental questions about existence, purpose, and reality that are not simple yes-or-no questions but "yes-and-no ones". Modernity, despite its efforts to streamline and clarify confusion through legislative order, has paradoxically created new "grey areas" and situations without unambiguous definition. While the great war against ambivalence might be losing its "societal/systemic sting," it often remains a "private enemy," an adversary for the individual in their effort of identity formation. Coping with the consequences of this privatized ambiguity falls on the individual. Importantly, the notion of ambiguity in existentialism is distinct from absurdity. To declare existence absurd is to deny that it can ever be given meaning, whereas to say it is ambiguous is to assert that its meaning is never fixed, but "must be constantly won". Absurdity challenges all ethics, while the ambiguous human condition is precisely why ethics has a place in existentialism. It is because man's condition is ambiguous that he seeks, through failure and outrageousness, to save his existence. Living an action in its truth involves being conscious of the antinomies (contradictions) it involves. Existentialism, by defining man as a negativity who is at a distance from himself and must perpetually play with the negative, provides a framework where evil is possible, giving meaning to concepts like victory, wisdom, and joy. Nothing is decided in advance, and man has something to lose, which means he can also win. In summary, the existential embrace of ambiguity is the acceptance of the human condition as inherently multifaceted, uncertain, and lacking a predetermined essence. This ambiguity, understood as simultaneously being subject and object, a temporal tension, and a "lack of being," is the very ground for human freedom and the necessity of choice. While this condition can lead to anxiety and uncertainty, existentialism posits that embracing this ambiguity is crucial for realizing freedom, living authentically, and creating meaning in a world where meaning is not given but must be constantly achieved through action and choice.