Absurdism, The Stranger, and Life

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Absurdism, The Stranger, and life
“Absurdism” (coined by Albert Camus) is a philosophy based upon the concept that the life and the world are meaningless, irrational, without sense or reason. And any effort we make to try to find meaning in them will ultimately fail.

Albert Camus considers absurdity to be a fight, a force pushing between our mind’s desire to have meaning and understanding and the blank empty world beyond. In argument with Nagel, Camus stated “I said that the world is absurd, but I was too hasty. This world in itself is not reasonable, that is all that can be said. But what is absurd is the confrontation of this irrational and the wild longing for clarity whose call echoes in the human heart. The absurd depends as much on man as on the world.”[1] He continues that there are specific human experiences evoking notions of absurdity. Such a realization or encounter with the absurd leaves the individual with a choice: suicide, a leap of faith, or recognition. He concludes that recognition, or realization, is the only defensible option.[2] The realization that life is absurd and cannot be an end, but only a beginning. This is a truth nearly all great minds have taken as their starting point. It is not this discovery that is interesting, but the consequences and rules of action drawn from it.[3]

From those actions stems the character of Meursault. In writing, Meursault is painted as an indifferent, honest, and very strange man. He completely embodies the absurd and in many ways he can be considered a reflection of the absurd artist in the Myth of Sisyphus. Meursault expresses all of the absurd characteristics outlined in the book : revolt, freedom, and passion. Revolt- By not partaking in social customs or following c...

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...uch about what others thought about us, and how closely we follow popular culture we could listen more closely to what our heart wants to do. And if we could exemplify the absurd characteristics: revolt, freedom, and pleasure in our lives we could live life more fully: By revolting against tomorrow we can come to terms with the present moment. By expressing our freedoms, we can then be set free. And by finding the pleasures in life, we can finally start living the life we always wanted to live.

Works Cited

[1]Altshuler, Roman. “The Meaninglessness of life: Camus vs. Nagel.” The ends of Thought; Journeys to Philosophy’s Third Kingdom. (2011)

[2] “Absurdism” Wikipedia

[3]Camus, Albert. “Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays.” Vintage Books. (1991)

[4] 2.5.26 Camus, Albert. “The Stranger” Vintage International (1942).

[5] Camus, Albert. “Myth of Sisyphus” (1942)

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