Unit 9: Albert Camus
Albert Camus (1913–1960) was an Algerian writer and intellectual. He refused to be labeled a philosopher because he did not believe human reason could systematize human experience in all its complexities. A friend and subsequently a critic of Sartre, his writings reflect comparable themes to Sartre's. In 1957, Camus was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
In this unit, we explore Camus' existentialism by examining his book The Stranger and his essay "The Myth of Sisyphus" (both published in 1942), which highlight the absurdities of human existence and the absurdity of existentialism itself when the philosophy is taken to an extreme. He was internationally well-known and famous for his concepts of the Absurd.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 1 hour.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- identify the role of Albert Camus in the history of existentialism;
- analyze Camus' "The Myth of Sisyphus";
- summarize Camus' departure from Kierkegaard and Dostoevsky; and
- discuss the value of The Stranger as an existentialist work of fiction.
- identify the role of Albert Camus in the history of existentialism;
9.1: Camus' Role in Existentialism
Unlike Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre, and de Beauvoir, Camus was not an academic philosopher. He worked as a journalist, playwright, and political activist and refused to be called a philosopher or existentialist. Despite these denials, Camus explored the meaning of existence throughout his novels, plays, and essays.
It is best to classify him as a writer – we can add the adjectives "philosophical" and "existentialist" for greater clarity because Camus centered most of his work on existential concerns. In his writings, he emphasizes the absurdity of existence and its unavoidable conclusion (death). He believed we should embrace the absurd – that life is devoid of purpose, and humans cannot know that meaning if it existed. The critic in him prompts him to: debunk mythologies, be skeptical of superstition, seek to eliminate terror, be the voice of passion and compassion, and ardently defend freedom.
Camus also addressed the subject of suicide. "There is only one truly important philosophical subject, and that is suicide", he wrote. Suicide, according to Camus, arose spontaneously as a remedy to the absurdity of existence.
Watch this lecture on the life and works of Albert Camus. Pay special attention to the breadth of his life and work. Why is Camus critical of the existentialists as a group of philosophers and the term existentialism itself?
Read this biography about Camus, and consider how his career trajectory may have influenced the types of projects he sought and the things he did with his life. Do you think he practiced what he was writing about?
9.2: The Myth of Sisyphus
In his literary essay The Myth of Sisyphus (1942), Camus introduces his philosophy of the absurd. His story opens with a provocative statement: "There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide". In the realm of logic, an absurdity is a contradiction. The claim "life has and does not have meaning" includes two contradictory phrases which cannot be simultaneously true and false. For example, we cannot logically say that "all dogs are animals" and "some dogs are not animals".
But this is not what Camus believed about the absurd. To say the world and life are absurd is to say it is pointless. Camus wrote:
...man stands face to face with the irrational. He feels within him his longing for happiness and for reason. The absurd is born of this confrontation between the human need and the unreasonable silence of the world. This must not be forgotten. This must be clung to because the whole consequence of a life can depend on it.
Camus pointed to the Greek myth of Sisyphus to concentrate our attention on what life means and how we should respond. Zeus punished Sisyphus, "the futile laborer of the underworld", by condemning him to have to roll a massive boulder up a hill for eternity. As soon as he reaches the top, the boulder rolls back down, and the process repeats indefinitely. The exercise sees no achievable purpose, and his effort is futile. Camus believed this allegory represents life: which has no purpose and is futile. In short, life is meaningless.
The most important philosophical question for Camus is "whether or not life is worth living". Camus' philosophy of absurdism aims to determine whether life has meaning. If nothing exists that provides meaning, then perhaps there is something deeply absurd about human's quest to find meaning.
We are left to question whether our realization of meaninglessness and the absurdity of life require us to commit suicide. Does the absurd dictate death? Camus thinks not. He eventually condemns suicide: instead, he suggests we must accept and embrace the task of living. Suicide is not an appropriate response to the meaninglessness of life. Recognizing there is no meaning does not imply we should give up or succumb to the absurd. Rather, the proper response is to learn how to live with it.
When we learn to live with the absurd, we conduct an open revolt against meaninglessness and are rendered free of the preconceptions and artificial meaning life imposes on us. We begin to live fully and passionately in the present.
For this reason, according to Camus, Sisyphus is the "hero of the absurd". According to Camus, Sisyphus descended from the top of the hill to begin again. He was aware of his condition and conscious of the utter pointlessness of his eternal task. And yet, Camus proposes Sisyphus is happy. Because he embraces his reality, he has defeated his punishment.
As you listen to this lecture about Camus' life and work, consider what makes existence absurd. How can people overcome it? What are the consequences of Camus' thoughts about living and dying in terms of the purpose of our lives? Considering the many ways we battle the absurdity of life, why does Camus believe suicide is not an option? According to Camus, what has Sisyphus done that sets an example for us all?
Watch this video about the Myth of Sisyphus and consider how the story of Sisyphus relates to some of the major themes in Camus' work related to the absurd, meaning, and existentialism.
9.3: Camus' Departure from Kierkegaard and Dostoevsky
Besides the actual act of suicide, Camus discusses "philosophical suicide" when we accept something as true because it is convenient and easy. He believes that trusting a ready-made belief system like religion is a type of intellectual suicide. Many believe Camus' approach to the religious question in existentialist thinking is his reaction to Kierkegaard and Dostoevsky. Both writers discuss the absurdity of the universe before embracing stronger confidence in God.
Kierkegaard described himself as a Christian, despite his criticism of the church. The only reasonable choice for establishing whether God exists is to take a "leap of faith" toward Christianity, which Kierkegaard believes is an ultimately irrational experience.
Camus has said that several of Dostoevsky's atheist characters, such as Ivan Karamazov, influenced his perceptions of religion and faith. Ultimately, Camus said, "I do not believe in God and I am not an atheist", which appropriately summarizes his rejection of religion. He was skeptical of Kierkegaard and Dostoevsky's leap into what he perceived to be an irrational faith. He argued that accepting Christianity was an inappropriate reaction to the absurd.
As you read the article, consider how Camus' philosophy of absurdism relates to our study of existentialism and previous philosophers such as Søren Kierkegaard. According to Camus, what attitudes should we have toward life concerning absurdism? How does confronting the absurdity in life give us reasons to keep going?
Watch this video below and consider your responses to some of the questions Camus asked. Do you agree that all humans are born with the same human essence and that we all wish to find meaning?
9.4: The Stranger as an Existentialist Work of Fiction
From the first descriptive lines of The Stranger, Meursault, our anti-hero, is explicitly disconnected from life. He responds to his mother's death and the rituals surrounding it with noncommittal curiosity rather than grief. His lack of emotional distress is not the issue. Rather, he is not engaged with life at all. The death of his mother is neither distressing nor consoling. In one sense, Meursault, the main character, is the stranger.
To become aware of the absurd is to come face to face with reality, which neither comforts nor frightens: it does nothing at all. Camus says that reality is silent: it does not respond to the apparent human need to understand, let alone discern a purpose to existence. Before the murder, however, Meursault did not confront this fact.
On the one hand, why should Meursault care about his life any more than he cared for the life of the man he murdered? Life is, after all, meaningless. There is no reason to be good or bad because there is no good or bad at all. Yet Meursault begins to care at the moment when escape becomes impossible and death is inevitable.
From early in our lives, we know we will die. However, what death means and its impact on how we live do not necessarily come with this knowledge. Death does not resonate because we are detached. Who cares about death? I am alive now: what does death have to do with me? Indifference to life and death is a blind acceptance, not revolt.
Meursault's initial detachment may be his way of rejecting societal rules. From the beginning, he refuses to conform to social norms. He does not express sadness, let alone grief, over his mother's death. He does not engage with his girlfriend or develop other meaningful relationships. Worst of all, he violates the fundamental social prohibition against unjust killing and seems unperturbed by society's response: his being put to death.
Watch this discussion about the book The Stranger. Do you think Camus is right when he says that most human life consists of irrational relationships, decisions, and actions? Do you think Meursault was not simply an emotionally-inept, socially-incompetent psychopath? Perhaps he represents what it means to live a life in full view of its utter lack of meaning. Do you think passivity is an acceptable way of experiencing life and treating others?
Unit 9 Assessment
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