Existentialism And Albert Camus

This article gives a brief intro to Existentialism, Absurdism and Atheism. It also looks at how Albet Camus (author of The Outsider) ties these philosophies into his work.

Existentialism

Emphasises the uniqueness and isolation of the human experience

Stresses freedom of choice for the individual

Suggests there is no reason or order in the universe

States there is no meaning to life / living. The human being is therefore responsible for creating meaning in the absence of god/religion

Believes in an indifferent universe that is neither friendly or unfriendly to man

Existence precedes Essence

What this means is that man is defined by his actions and that he is responsible for them

An individual`s essence is defined by the life that he/she creates and lives

"Man first of all exists, encounters himself, surges up in the world - and defines himself afterwards" John Paul Satre

Important Existentialists

Jean-Paul Satre: `Being and Nothingness` William James: stated that "truths" are formed from human experience and are therefore not absolute Miguel de Unamuno: The Tragic Sense of Life Martin Heidegger: `Being and Time` Soren Aabye Kierkegaard: Christian existentialism and considered the father of existentialism Nietzsche: `Beyond Good and Evil`

Absurdism

Arises from:

The mechanical nature of people`s lives, the deadening routine that marks them and may one day force them to question the meaning and purpose of their lives

An acute sense of time passing, a sense of time as a destructive agent

That sense of neglect in an isolating world that people feel in varying degrees throughout their lives

An awareness of an acute sense of our fundamental isolation from other human beings

Atheism

Poly - atheism is the absence of a belief in the existence of gods. Mono- atheism is the absence of belief in a single god. This comes from either deliberate choice or a lack of ability to accept religious teachings.

Darwin: `On the Origin of the Species` Enlightenment: rationality and scientific methodologies (Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau)

Camus`s Philosophy

The absurd - suggests that the efforts man makes to find meaning in the world around him can be seen as ridiculous as there is no meaning to life

To experience as much as possible whilst knowing that death is near

To desire meaning and life whilst knowing you cannot achieve this

Awareness of yourself in relation to the world around you. Your human dignity is thus retained

The hero - a person without illusion

"In a universe that is suddenly deprived of illusions and of light man feels like a stranger. His is an irremediale exile . This divorce between man and his life, the actor and his setting, fully constitutes the feeling of absurdity."