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Theme
Schools of Philosophy

Absurdism

Ethics

Albert Camus's philosophy of the absurd, which holds that human beings inherently seek meaning in a universe that offers none, producing an irresolvable tension between the impulse to understand life's purpose and the impossibility of finding an adequate answer. Camus argued this absurd condition should be confronted through lucid consciousness and life-affirming rebellion, not resolved through suicide or an unearned leap of faith.

Facts
Start Year
1942 1
Dated to the publication of The Myth of Sisyphus, Camus's founding statement of the absurd.
Founded Date
1942-10-01 1
Dated to the October 1942 publication of Camus's The Myth of Sisyphus, the essay that founded absurdism as a philosophical position.
Region
France 1
Classification
Tradition
Continental 1
Connections

Held Differently

Existentialism, Schools of Philosophy
Source Albert Camus (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

Founded By

Source Albert Camus (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

In Branch

Sources
1. Albert Camus (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
  • Myth of Sisyphus, 3
    There is only one really serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide
  • Myth of Sisyphus
    The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.
  • SEP Camus entry, section 1 Life and Times: publication of The Myth of Sisyphus
    the publisher for both commercial reasons and because of the paper shortage caused by war and occupation, released The Stranger in June 1942 and The Myth of Sisyphus in October.
  • Founded By: Albert Camus
  • Associated With: Existentialism, Myth of Sisyphus, 42
    starting from a philosophy of the world's lack of meaning, it ends up by finding a meaning and depth in it
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