Absurdism

an outspoken critic of communist theory, eventually leading to a rift with Sartre. One of the dominant philosophical contributions of Camus's work is absurdism. While he is often associated with existentialism, he rejected the label, expressing surprise that he would be viewed as a philosophical ally of Sartre. Elements of existentialism and absurdism are present in the most celebrated writings of Camus. Many writers have addressed the meanings of Absurd, each with his or her own interpretation…

Absurdism is seen as “a metaphysical tension or opposition that results from the presence of human consciousness—with its ever-pressing demand for order and meaning in life—in an essentially meaningless and indifferent universe.”. Albert Camus thought there were three solutions to absurdism, which were physical suicide, philosophical suicide, and acceptance (Simpson, “Albert Camus”). Philosophical suicide is seen as a leap of faith, a sort of giving in. If death is looked at in those terms than…

Albert Camus, commonly known as a proponent of existentialism, wrote the novel The Stranger in the realm of absurdism, demonstrating themes of alienation and the outcome of responsive decisions. Meursault, living in a belief that life is there is no point as the absence of God and the indifference of the universe gives Meursault personal freedom from any responsibility or purpose to his pointless life. “we find the stranger connected to the absurd; the absurd as the vehicle, the shadow behind…

The first time I actually questioned mankind’s purpose was when I was speaking with a fellow atheist, such as myself. We were just conversing on many philosophical topics when the idea of destiny and fate came up. This soon led to us debating whether or not mankind has a greater purpose. My stance on the topic was that only a creator could give a product a purpose, and because I do not believe that there is an infinite divine substance, a purpose could not have been given for our life, which was…

When I was little the world was very new to me. I did not see the world as a complicated place. My parents took care of me by providing me with food, water, and shelter. All my life they paid for my catholic education so that I could become something good and valuable in life. But as I got older, I started viewing life in a different perspective. I began questioning a lot of things in my life with no real answer to come up with. One of those questions was, what is the meaning of life? It seems…

Guilt and Innocence in The Stranger “Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know. I got a telegram from the home: ‘Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow. Faithfully yours.’ That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe it was yesterday.” (Camus 3) The perplexing tale of Meursault, an emotionally detached and seemingly amoral young man living in Algiers, stands notoriously as the introduction to “the absurd.” Albert Camus coined this school of thought, using The Stranger as a mechanism for expressing…

“supposed” to be really important to the extent that, it breaks people; However, Meursault acts so indifferent towards these events and the fact that he acts so indifferent is absurd, because normal people wouldn’t act like that., a clear example of this absurdism in the book was when he said.…

In the novel The Stranger, by Albert Camus, Camus introduces and symbolizes his philosophy of the Absurd. The novel is introduced with a personal account of Meursault who receives the news of the death of his mother, Maman, leading up from this event he is eventually executed for the murder of an Arab. The philosophy of the Absurd, which takes a great role in the overall theme of The Stranger, influences Meursault’s actions and further progresses his consciousness throughout the novel. The…

The existence of violence within literature serves a purpose in the sense that it helps to decipher the personality and background of a character. We psychoanalyze people in our everyday lives based upon the violent nature of a man or woman. In Albert Camus’ The Stranger, the protagonist, Meursault, it is witnessed that this man does not seem to have some sort of abnormal behavior, based on his expressions. However, we cannot judge a person without seeing the true nature of this man. Within the…

The Stranger by Albert Camus is a book that teaches a philosophical point of view on the meaning of life. The story is about a man referred to as Monsieur Meursault, who believes life is meaningless. Meursault is informed of his mother who had passed away and went to attend her funeral. He gives us details of why he feels life is meaningless by showing no emotion or remorse about the passing of his mother. He isn’t seen sobbing or bawling his eyes out for his mother and even refuses to see his…