To achieve true absurd freedom, one would have to abandon those pre-existing expectations and live life as is. Camus’s version essentially disregards the values, which he claims will form preconceptions where one ought to follow. His definition of freedom is essentially the photo-opposite of the traditional philosophical definition, where one has the choice to decide on the basis of values held by that particular person.
#CAMUS SISYPHUS HOW TO#
The section on absurd freedom, where Camus redefines freedom in the context of absurdity and arrives at a conclusion on how to live with absurdity, is a personal favourite of mine. Therefore the question of facing the absurd with consciousness remains. Clearly, Camus is dissatisfied with all answers that attempt to deny one or the other piece of the paradox. To apply transcendence on it, either through hope or blind faith, is to escape the paradox. Absurdism is defined by the contradictory truths of one’s pursuit of meaning and the universe’s utter silence on the subject matter. It is notable that Camus explores the approach of other existentialist philosophies at the time in-depth, including Chestov’s and Kierkegaard’s leap of faith into God in hopes of explaining everything irrational as well as Jasper’s and Husserl’s quest after transcendence, all of which falls into the trap of reconciliation something entirely irreconcilable. He then gives sketches of how feelings of absurdism may strike, at times of weariness of mechanical life, the inevitability of time, or simply the “denseness and strangeness of the world.” It is during these moments that our consciousness awakes and forces us to contemplate whether life has meaning at all.Īn absurd reasoning: philosophical suicide Taking it to the far extreme, when we live for our God-given meaning, consider if we are stripped away from that meaning, is suicide then necessary? One metaphor Camus often uses is in a world divested of meaning, a man with existentialist thoughts may feel in exile. Centuries of religion and philosophies have placed God-given meaning as the sole purpose of existence. “Absurdism” as defined by Camus is the paradox between one’s urgent need for unity to make sense out of this world and the world not making sense. However, Camus takes a turn when he deems this question the most important, because of the definitive act it entails, either living for a purpose or committing suicide for not finding a reason to live. The very core of metaphysics lies within abstract beliefs and logic and is essentially “beyond physics.” While I see the appeal of philosophy, its inconsequentiality lingers. My problem with philosophy has always been its irrelevance, that is, whether you think one way or the other has little effect on how the world actually plays out. Albert Camus begins with a strong statement, “There is but one truly serious philosophical problem and that is suicide,” which immediately catches my attention.
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