Philosophy p.

5
October 29,1996
Albert Camus
Born on November 7, 1913 in Mandoui, Algeria, Albert Camus earned a
worldwide reputation as a novelist and essayist and won the Nobel Prize for lite
rature in
1957. Though his writings, and in some measure against his will, he became the l
eading
moral voice of his generation during the 1950's. Camus died at the height of his
fame, in
an automobile accident near Sens, France on January 4, 1960.
Camus's deepest philosophical interests were in Western philosophy, amon
g them
Socrates, Pascal, Spinoza, and Nietsche. His interest in philosophy was almost
exclusively moral in character. Camus came to the conclusion that none of the
speculative systems of the past could provide and positive guidance for human li
fe or any
guarantee of the validity of human value. Camus also concluded that suicide is
the only
serious philosophical problem. He asks whether it makes any sense to go on livin
g once
the meaninglessness of human life is fully understood.
Camus referred to this meaninglessness as the "absurdity" of life. He be
lieved
that this "absurdity" is the "failure of the world to satisfy the human demand t
hat it
provide a basis for human values-for our personal ideals and for our judgments o
f right
and wrong." He maintained that suicide cannot be regarded as an adequate respon
se to
the "experience of absurdity." He says that suicide is an admission of incapacit
y, and
such an admission is inconsistent with that human pride to which Camus openly ap
peals.
Camus states, "there is nothing equal to the spectacle of human pride."
Furthermore, Camus also dealt with the topic of revolution in his essay
The
Rebel. Camus rejected what he calls "metaphysical revolt," which he sees as a "r
adical
refusal of the human condition as such," resulting either in suicide or in a "de
monic
attempt to remake the world in the image of man."
Although often considered an existentialist, Camus had his own way of th
inking
and often disagreed with many existentialist thinkers. Camus was a brilliant wri
ter as
well as a philosopher and although complicated his views will always be inspirat
ion for
further thought.