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Albert Camus
Existentialism: No More Excuses
Existential ideas can be traced back to the ancient
Greeks. Hamlet espouses such ideas, St. Augustine is
often considered a pro-type of the movement, and
though it was not officially named until after the
second World War, Existentialism has, inarguably,
been a major point of interest in the history of
mankind.
Often described as gloomy or melancholic,
Existentialism is often viewed from a one dimensional
perspective: Life is pointless, absurd.
This is not entirely true. One might see Existentialism
as a response to the often over-used victim psychology.
Questions to Consider
What does personal freedom mean to you?
What is an individual? What makes an individual
unique or different?
Are passions, by their very nature, irrational? Is
rationality always a good thing?
What do you believe is most important in life? Fate or
free will?
What’s the point?
Key players
Soren Kierkegaard, the Danish philosopher, is considered
the father of existentialism.
Jean-Paul Sartre actually names the movement in the
1940’s; he and Camus remained close until 1955 when
Camus, for reasons not entirely clear, broke ranks. At one
point, Camus even denies the label of existentialist.
Friedrich Neitzsche and Martin Heidegger were also key
players in the modern movement.
Each of these figures provided his own particular brand of
existentialism (Sartre, in fact, changed his mind regarding
several tenants of the philosophy)
Primary Themes
1—Emphasis on the Individual
each writer takes the idea of individuality in a different
direction.
Personal responsibility for actions
Society, even if it acts similarly, may not be blamed for
the purpose of avoiding consequences
The individual is free—free to make his/her own choices
even if the scenario is not of their making or choosing
Themes (cont’d)
2—The central role of the passions--breaking from more
traditional philosophical movements which favor reason
and rationality
Camus is especially passionate (notice his use of
exclamation points). One should be passionate about
life….furthermore, it is folly to believe that one can act
solely on rationality, for that which we believe is true
(reasonable) can never be separated from passions
Our “truths” are merely constructs derived primarily from our
environment
Themes (cont’d)
3—Human freedom
political freedom and free will, especially to Kierkegaard and
Sartre
The relationship between freedom and reason is particularly
important.
Typically, rationality is associated with freedom, while we are
often “slaves to our passions.”
The existentialists suggest we live best and are most ourselves in
terms of passion. Kierkegaard’s notion of “passionate
commitment” as opposed to “detached reflection” is central.
For Neitzsche, to really “exist” (live) is “becoming the person you
really are.”
Existence Before Essence
Kierkegaard defines “existence” as a life filled with
passion, self-understanding, and commitment
Nietzsche: to really “exist” is to manifest one’s talents
and virtues— “becoming the person you really are”
The general sensibility is the realization of one’s own
“contingency.” That one might have never been born,
or born in a different time or place is a reminder of
how much of our lives is given to and not created by us
Heidegger called this “thrownness”
Who are we?
Existentialists challenge the idea that human existence
is so tied up in thinking; the movement urges us to live
our lives to the fullest--although what this means will
take different forms.
Sartre, probably the “truest” existentialist, defends the
notion that “we make ourselves.”
“Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself”
Existential View of Human
Nature
We have no predetermined nature or essence that
controls what we are or what we do.
We are radically free to act independently of
determination by outside influences.
We create our own human nature through these free
choices.
We also create our values through these choices.
These ideas challenge the more traditional notion of
essence before existence which provides for the idea that
our given nature determines who and what we will
become.
The Three Related Philosophical
Movements
Existentialism: A belief that neither human beings nor
the universe has any essential nature. Human beings
construct their natures (and, therefore, meaning)
through their choices.
Absurdism: A belief that our need for meaning is
greater than the ability of the universe to be
meaningful, making all philosophical positions
absurd.
Moralism: A philosophical enquiry into the ethical
implications of the human condition.
Camus’ Existential Moralism
Human beings inhabit a moral universe in
which there are no absolute guidelines
Nonetheless, we have an ethical sense that we
try to live up to—most of us want to be “good
people,” though it is difficult to pin down
exactly what this means. (BEING A GOOD
PERSON MEANS DEFINING EXACTLY
WHAT THAT MEANS)
Camus’ Existential Moralism
Life constantly presents us with moral choices without
giving us the right answers.
The various ways that we try to define a moral code
and live by it constitute our moral being.
We define ourselves as moral beings by the choices that
we make within the ethical system that we construct.
Why read Camus?
Represents the “sensibility” of the movement
Though Camus rejects the label, The Stranger is
the epitome of the existential literature of the
1940s.
Set in Algeria, in the middle of an intensifying
civil war—never mentioned, of course—it
concerns the fate of a rather dull young man,
who gets caught up in a murder.
Mersault
What is “strange” is that he seems to feel nothing; he
doesn’t seem to think for himself or engage in reflection at
all.
He lacks a sense of morals or morality; he has no ambitions;
he does not respond to love, nor does he respond to the
murder—no signs of fear or guilt
No feelings except for the physical sensations of heat and
light, smell and taste.
A life without reason is not necessarily a life of intensified
feelings; people without thoughts are often without feelings,
too.
The oddity of murder
Was there a murder? It seems to “just happen.”
Is Mersault ever the agent of his own actions?
The murder scene is frightening simply because Mersault offers
no reaction.
What is the author’s purpose in portraying the trial of a
Frenchmen condemned for the murder of a foreigner?
The trial has primarily philosophical significance, much like
Kafka’s The Trial in which the protagonist is put to death
without ever knowing the charge.
Ultimately, . . .
The point of the novel is the nature of guilt and
innocence.
But it is also a celebration of life for life’s sake. The
point of the trial is to turn Mersault into a human
being.
Part 1 focuses on his life; Part II addresses the
development of the character’s life philosophy.
Concerns or Objections to the
Philosophy?
What is freedom? How can we be free if so much of
our lives, abilities, and environment is just given to us?
What is happiness? How can we be happy in a world
devoid of significance and meaning?
How should we act? If our only moral rule is to act
authentically, can’t we then do anything we want, no
matter how evil or selfish?
Frankl and Man’s Search for
Meaning
We find meaning through
A. creating or doing a work
B. experiencing something or encountering someone
C. the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering
“Despair is suffering without meaning.”
“Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his
life is, but rather he must recognize that it is he who is
asked. . . .each man is questioned by life; and he can only
answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can
only respond by being responsible.” –Frankl
A little humor….