April 2 – Existentialism & Absurdism Agenda: Is death bad for you? Discussion Existentialism & Absurdism Albert Camus Existential Moralism The Stranger Chapter 1 & Absurdism Homework: Read “The Myth of Sisyphus” and complete the reading questions Read Chapters 2, 3 and 4 (~20 pages) Take out: Pen/Pencil Notebook Highlighter The Stranger “…Death…” reading and answers

Kagan – Is Death Bad for You? Considering what you have read about (the deprivation account, the existence requirement (modest and bold), Epicurius’ argument, Lucretious’ argument, shmoss vs. loss) try to answer the question a second time: Is death bad for you? This is an EXISTENTIAL question

Notes: Two Philosophical Movements Existentialism: Centered on the analysis of individual existence in an unfathomable universe Considers the plight of the individual who must assume ultimate responsibility for acts of free will without any certain knowledge of what is right or wrong or good or bad It is: A belief that neither human beings nor the universe has any essential, predetermined nature. Therefor human beings construct their natures through their choices. Absurdism: Human need for meaning is greater than the ability of the universe to be meaningful, making all philosophical positions absurd Absurdism essentially says that the world is so nonsensical, so absurd, that you can’t expect to find meaning in it anywhere The search for order brings the individual into conflict with the universe

Camus’ Existential Moralism Human beings inhabit a moral universe in which there are no absolute guidelines Nonetheless, we have an ethical sense that we try to live up to Most of us want to be “good people,” though it is difficult to define exactly what this means Life constantly presents us with moral choices without giving us the right answers The various ways that we try to define a moral code and live by it constitute our moral being We define ourselves as moral beings by the choices that we make within the ethical system that we construct

The Stranger (L’ Etranger) Main character/narrator: M. Mersault Takes place in Algiers (Northern Africa) Algiers was controlled by the French from The Arabs in the story are a reflection of the native population, while the French are the foreigners Story follows M. Mersault – an “odd” young man

Chapter 1 Write a heading on a piece of paper (you will be turning this in) Having read chapter 1, answer the following question, using at least two concrete details, and your basic understanding of Absurdism: How does Mersault embody Camus’ Absurdist perspective?