Existentialism, Albert Camus, and The Stranger Camus became a towering moral philosopher and writer - one of the principal personages of the existentialist movement. Born in Algeria in 1913; settled in Paris and studied philosophy and literature most famous (and often considered his greatest) play is Caligula was written in 1938, when he was twenty five…tells the story of a mad Roman emporer who, devastated by the death of his beloved sister, dealws with his discovery of absurdity by creating an absurd world, turning his kingdom upside down in an orgy of sex and violence. He grasps for the impossible…exceeds all limits…and is eventually assassinated. We’re going to be hearing a lot about “THE ABSURD”…which is a staple in Camus’s idea of existentialism. THE ABSURD, as experienced and explained by Camus, means that people are basically strangers, homeless, alienated, condemned to futility…pretty depressing, right? So, why not, like Caligula, just go mad, live a life of total indulgence, eat and drink all you want, etc.etc…? According to Camus, suicide, aimless pleasure, empty faith should be rejected and instead one must learn to live with the absurd and to love life. Directed his work to his own times, the crisis-ridden twentieth century. Unprecedented horrors of WWII and the images of Auschwitz and Hiroshima had wounded much of the older faith in optimism, progress and moral certainty. His plays were controversial, but appealed to a generation searching for moral bearings after the upheaval of war. situations, dilemmas and painful choices confronting the characters of the plays. Works deal with problems Work is characterized by simple plots, effectiveness of dialogue and dramatic effects, extreme of racism, political corruption, the exploitation of women, and, above all, the hypocrisy of American life. His plays were the ideal vehicle for the presentation of existential ideas…the depiction of extreme dramatic situations and the expression of their ideas became inseparable. These ideas were able to reach a far wider and more varied audience than his often more difficult philosophical works. Jean Paul Sartre was his contemporary, and his works were equally energized by existentialist themes... Albert Camus (1913 - 1960), a French philosopher of the absurd, novelist, and dramatist

Albert Camus born in Algeria in 1913 Occupied by France settled in Paris and studied philosophy and literature one of the principal persons of the existentialist movement Writings affected by the time period, especially the horrors of WWII Trying to find meaning among death and destruction

Camus, cont. Work is characterized by simple plots, effectiveness of dialogue and dramatic effects, extreme of racism, political corruption, the exploitation of women, and, above all, the hypocrisy of life. Said he was not an existentialist, but his works reflect the philosophy (preferred absurdist)

The Stranger Published in 1942 (in French) Setting: Algiers Main character: Meursault (mare-sew) The story focuses on what happens after the death of Meursault's mother

A Poem by Stephen Crane A man said to the universe: “Sir I exist!” “However,” replied the universe, “the fact has not created in me a sense of obligation.”

EXISTENTIALISM “A body of ethical thought centering about the uniqueness and isolation of individual experience in a universe indifferent or hostile to man, regarding human existence as unexplainable, and emphasizing man’s freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of his acts.” **Take a minute with a partner and break down this definition. Write your own version of the definition.

What is Existentialism? Word first appeared in the 1940s Branch of philosophy based on the situation of the individual in an absurd/ irrational/meaningless universe Humans have free will People are responsible for their actions and judge how they affect others. Belief in no God and no ultimate meaning no afterlife; meaning is created by our choices and those of the people around us Humans must define their own natures—there is no unifying/universal human nature It is absolutely necessary that we consider the tenets of existentialism in the context in which it was created -- in this case, the context is world war II. In the late 1940s the new philosophy captured the imagination of europe and america. Though the roots of existentialism had preceded this period, it became a self-conscious (deliberate) philosophy in its own right only after world war II. It is this very difficult and often dismal period of which existentialism is a product. Unlike earlier and later philosophies, existentialism wasn’t a concrete and dogmatic system, but more of a mood -- an outlook that contained related themes. Because of the diversity of positions associated with existentialism, there is no hard and fast definition for existentialism…Certain themes common to virtually all existentialist writers can be identified, though. We can look at the similarity of outlook and a common approach to particular problems of human existence. Some of the beliefs they shared, which we’ll look at closely in a few minutes, are concerns centered on the uniqueness of individuals and their situations, a preoccupation with anxiety, absurdity, crisis situations, value definition, and choice-making. There is a stress on concrete individual existence and, consequently, on subjectivity, individual freedom, and choice. Believed that human beings must define their own nature -- there is no such thing as “human nature” -- nothing that connects us. We can’t rely on any sort of convention as a guide to understanding...Each person must be courageous enough (and that is the key…that it takes a certain courage to move toward authenticity or awareness) to define his or her own existence, since it is completely unique to them. Then, once that existence is defined, the individual must take the responsibility for making their own choices. In this view, humans are what they do. even though it’s hard to define, there are certain recurring themes...

BACKGROUND Jean-Paul Sartre, in his lecture “Existentialism and Human Emotions,” formed the slogan “Existence precedes Essence.” He illustrated this slogan with four points: 1. We have no predetermined nature or essence that controls what we are, what we do, or what is valuable. 2. We are radically free to act independently of determination by outside influences. 3. We create our own human nature through these free choices. 4. We also create our values through these choices.

More Existentialist Themes Identities are constructed by the individual consciousness only. Values are subjective—no preset right or wrong. Humanity doesn’t ultimately matter in the grand scheme of things, but our choices do affect those around us “Good deeds” should be done for their own merit, not to earn points on a divine scoreboard

Death According to Existentialists Simply put: Life is short, then you die. Death is the final nothingness. According to Sartre, death is an absurd birth…it is nothing but the wiping out of my existence as a conscious being. Death shows the absurdity/ meaninglessness of the human existence.

Moral Individualism There are no universal, objective standards for right and wrong. Morality is subjective The individual is responsible for all of the consequences of one’s actions. Humanity’s primary distinction is the freedom to choose; the choices an individual makes create his or her nature. Choice is inescapable; even the refusal to choose is a choice.

Emotions and Existentialism Again, existentialism developed during and after WWII Anxiety stems from our understanding and recognition of the total freedom of choice that confronts us every moment, and the individual’s confrontation with nothingness. Alienation and Estrangement from other people, human institutions, from the past and future—we only exist in the here and now

Absurdism The existentialist says that life is ABSURD Nothing can explain or rationalize human existence. The efforts of man to find meaning in this life will fail because life has no identifiable meaning/purpose. Humans exist in a (possibly) meaningless, irrational universe, and any search for order will bring them into direct conflict with the universe. Discuss: The myth of Sisyphus “The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.” –Albert Camus