From Finite to Infinite Being 1. A being is that which exists, a thing that has existence.
Existence is the ultimate actuality of the thing.
But while existence enters into our account of being, of any being, existence is not of the nature of the existent thing. If it were, the thing would exist necessarily. That is, if something existed in virtue of what it is, it would exist necessarily, essentially. What a thing is, its essence, is expressed in its definition, the account we give of it. If existence is not part of that account, part of what the thing is, a being is composed of essence and existence.