As the dust settled after the Second World War, ruins, bodies, and memories scarred the desolated European and Pacific theatres. Hiroshima and Nagasaki’s mushroom clouds testified to human potency and impunity. War grew cold in the frightening spectre of MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction), as the Global North’s economic engines fired for reconstructing Europe and Japan. Meanwhile, the United Nations revived and expanded the shattered dream of the League of Nations. In the wake of all this arose two French movements. One attempted rekindling the Prytaneum flame binding humans to a good or god; another wanted to decentralise, even rid us of, the human. Both these groups, of course, built on Heidegger and followed queues from Nietzsche. Our first …show more content…
The small suttees are those moments we fall into any prefabricated meaning or hope; larger self-slaughter destroys the being itself. The bravest, however, live in the Absurd. We cannot unpack the full implications of Camus’ intoxicating essays on the Absurd here. But we will return to him when I construe my spirituality theory. For now, we have to notice that, for Camus, getting the world back, Descartes style, would amount to philosophical suicide. Indeed, even Kierkegaard, with his leap, and Husserl, with his fractured spiritual imbued world, for Camus (1991: 37, 50), commits sins against the Absurd. So, the existentialists wanted to amend the human; one may even venture to say construct a picture of the superhuman, under redress from god’s death. There is, of course, another way of inscribing Nietzsche’s proclamation: just claim the entity drunk from drinking up god never existed. In other words, make the anti-humanistic claim by showing the development of the idea of the human; decentralise the subject through psychology, genealogy, or language. Although in no way the one who birthed these methods, Nietzsche fathered them. None, however, wielded them with more power in the twentieth century than Deleuze, Foucault, and
"World War II." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Ed. William A. Darity, Jr. 2nd Ed. Vol. 9. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2008. 147-151. World History In Context. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.
The United States of America’s use of the atomic bomb on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has spurred much debate concerning the necessity, effectiveness, and morality of the decision since August 1945. After assessing a range of arguments about the importance of the atomic bomb in the termination of the Second World War, it can be concluded that the use of the atomic bomb served as the predominant factor in the end of the Second World War, as its use lowered the morale, industrial resources, and military strength of Japan. The Allied decision to use the atomic bomb not only caused irreparable physical damage on two major Japanese cities, but its use also minimized the Japanese will to continue fighting. These two factors along
“Albert Camus is one of the most likeable and approachable of the mid-twentieth-century French authors” (Brosman 10).This is quite a compliment for Camus, but most would agree. In France, Albert is known for his many books, two which have made the French best-sellers list. His works are often read and studied in French secondary-school class rooms, introducing a countless number of students to his pieces each year. Camus also holds the high honor of receiving the Nobel Prize for literature in 1957 (Boak 346). His wide popularity has made his name known in North America as well. Just what is Albert Camus so popular for one might ask? The answer would be his approach to his work— the underlying beliefs of Existentialism or the theory of the absurd that characterizes his pieces (Wyatt 1).1 All of Camus’ works incorporate this strong sense of the individual having freedom of choice, and thus complete control over his own outcome. He acknowledges no help or control from higher powers, just simply focuses on the individual; consequently, creating a sense of alienation. Albert Camus’ attraction to and his use of Existential beliefs began from his own life circumstances.
Even though half of a century separates us from the unforgettable event, it left horrible memories especially in those who saw, felt and experienced World War II which was waged on land, on sea, and in the air all over the earth for approximately six years. Whether it’s a battle, hospital, or holocaust, there are so many stories from the survivors, who can teach us not only about the profession of arms, but also about military preparations, global strategies and combined operations in the coalition war against fascism.
“As a result of the world war and of a peace whose imperfections and risks are no longer denied by anyone, are we not even further away from the great aspirations and hopes for peace and fraternity than we were decades ago?” (Hjalmar Branting). After the industrial revolution, countries were in a rush to prove themselves. Each country built up its militaries in hopes of creating peace, but all their effort crashed to ruins when the heir to the Austrian-hungarian throne was assassinated. War broke out over the assassination of this man, and due to the complex web of alliances they had weaved, no country could escape it. The powers of Europe set their own trap, and it had been activated. Looking back on history, there were three main determining factors that caused World War I; one outshone the
...le, which brought modernity; people started having doubts about God and stared seeing themselves as subjects and givers of meaning to themselves and the objects surrounding them thus bringing this essay to an end.
With his theory Friedrich Nietzsche gave a sorrowful, mediocre, and secular world new meaning. The following essay will discuss the problems in society during the 1800’s and prove Nietzsche’s greatness in giving new meaning to the world. The essay then proves that it was by Elizabeth Forster-Nietzsche’s deliberate tampering that Nietzsche’s Superman came to be a symbol of Nazi principles.
The League of Nations was an Intergovernmental Organisation which persisted from 1919 up until 1946 where it was formally replaced with the United Nations towards the end of the Second World War. Many consider the League as one of the International Systems greatest failures due to it being widely regarded as an ‘ineffective instrument to tackle aggressors’ (Catterall, 1999, p. 52) and its inherent failure to prevent international conflict. However,
Although WW II ended over 50 years ago there is still much discussion as to the events which ended the War in the Pacific. The primary event which historians attribute to this end are the use of atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Although the bombing of these cities did force the Japanese to surrender, many people today ask “Was the use of the atomic bomb necessary to end the war?” and more importantly “Why was the decision to use the bomb made?” Ronald Takaki examines these questions in his book Hiroshima.
Several philosophers have made differing viewpoints regarding the outlook of life. Richard Taylor and Albert Camus are notably known for presenting their thoughts on whether life is meaningless or not through the use of the Greek myth of Sisyphus. The two philosopher’s underlying statement on the meaning of life is understood through the myth. The myth discusses the eternal punishment of Sisyphus who was condemned by the Gods to take a large boulder up a hill, only to have it roll back down, forcing him to repeat this task endlessly. Each conceive the myth in their own way and ultimately end with a conclusion that differs from each other. Taylor’s ideals and his take on the meaning of life contrast with what Camus presents in his argument. While Taylor suggests that there is a subjective meaning to life, Camus states that life is ultimately meaningless.
Where the Absurd leads to God: Introducing Kierkegaard. (2009). In 90 Seconds to Culture. Retrieved December 4, 2011, from http://www.90secondstoculture.com/2009/04/where-the-absurd-leads-to-god-introducing-kierkegaard-culturecast-053/
An absurdist tends to discover meaning despite living in a meaningless world and are unable to fully accept and understand that every life ultimately ends. Depending on a person’s ethics and morals, some indications can be made on how someone’s life may transpire with each differing and playing a role. These people often partake in unethical and immoral actions, aware of it or not, in order to achieve some type of meaning in their absurdist life. In the novel The Fall, by Albert Camus is about an Absurdist man who used to be a judge penitent in Paris before he moves to Amsterdam. While living in Paris, Clamence lives a life full of lies as he views himself superior, as he tends to help the least fortunate. In reality, his motives are flawed
Albert Camus was a man consumed by three images--his mother, the Mediterranean, and death. His greatest creative achievement, his writing, would center around these images, images that would be transformed into great ideas through simple and refined words. Albert Camus lived the life of the creative genius according to Howard Gardner's model of creativity. His writing has left a lasting impression on the literary world and his life has left a fascinating legacy on the notion of creativity.
In our society, The Bible is considered one of the most famous written literatures, and within this book there is over a thousand pages explaining christianity entirely. However, Albert Camus is able to explain existentialism and absurdism theories in just a hundred and twenty five pages. But how does he manage this? Within the works of The Stranger by Albert Camus, and The Exit by Jean Paul Sartre, the authors help explain the meaning of existentialism through style, setting, and the characters in the story itself.
Existentialism is a 20th century philosophical belief that emphasizes individual existence, freedom and choice. It was first brought to public attention, through Jean Paul Sartre’s book L’existentalisme est un humanisme in the mid 1940’s. The philosophy allows humans to define what the true meaning of life is, to make their own rational decisions despite living in an irrational world. It deals with the absurdity of life and emphasizes action, freedom and decision as a fundamental. And the only way to rise above the essentially absurd condition of humanity (which is typically categorized as suffering and death) is by exercising personal freedom and choice. The philosophy of Existentialism and the Absurd is presented through the literary works