{"id":111222,"date":"2023-08-18T13:52:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-18T17:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=111222"},"modified":"2023-08-23T09:15:28","modified_gmt":"2023-08-23T13:15:28","slug":"embrace-the-absurd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/embrace-the-absurd\/","title":{"rendered":"Embrace the Absurd: Albert Camus’s Advice for a Fulfilled Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What’s the meaning of life<\/a>? Why does Albert Camus think that’s a ridiculous question to ask?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The existentialist philosopher Albert Camus believes that, ultimately, life is absurd. We search in vain for meaning and purpose because it’s impossible to find them. He says we can choose to live in denial of this reality, end our own lives, or accept the absurd reality we inhabit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading to learn why Camus believes we should embrace the absurd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Living an Absurd Life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Though Camus dismisses attempts to define the meaning of life, particularly religious ones, he also believes that life is the only thing that matters, as it\u2019s the means by which you experience consciousness, pleasure, and growth.<\/strong> Life may be given by a benevolent God, or it may lack any deeper meaning; either way, you should attempt to get as much out of it as you can before your inevitable death. In other words, you should embrace the absurd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Camus describes this as an eternal struggle for freedom, with every person rebelling against the unknowability of the universe. Though this rebellion will fail, he argues that it makes you stronger, more intelligent, and more appreciative of your experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Camus would expand on the connection between rebellion and self-improvement in The Rebel<\/em><\/a> (1951), which argues that creating a perfect civilization is impossible, but revolting against injustice is still a noble goal that betters the individual and the society they live in. However, Camus was less supportive of rebellion in the real world\u2014he was a pacifist oppose<\/a>d<\/a> to any form of revolutionary violence<\/a> and was critical of the Algerian Revolution (1954-1962), which overthrew the French colonial government and triggered the mass exodus of the European pied-noir<\/em> population<\/a> to which he belonged.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting the most out of life<\/a> means living in the present and seeking out as many fulfilling experiences as possible.<\/strong> This doesn\u2019t require you to constantly pursue new, exotic, or extreme experiences, but to take an interest in the world around you at all times and to make choices without being concerned with artificial limitations on behavior, such as morality or social stigmas. Camus argues that you should \u201cfeel\u201d your life as intensely as if you\u2019d been condemned to death the next day, and this one was the last you\u2019d ever have\u2014especially since, in a sense, everyone is <\/em>condemned to death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: It\u2019s unclear how seriously we should take Camus\u2019s advice to ignore morality. While Meursault is certainly amoral\u2014he feels no remorse for the murder he commits seemingly at random\u2014Camus had deeply held moral convictions, which are made obvious in his other nonfiction work. As a journalist, he reported on the exploitation of native Algerians<\/a> by the French government, and in his Letters to a German Friend<\/em><\/a>, he condemned the occupying Nazi force for their cruelty and violence, writing that even if \u201cthis world has no ultimate meaning,\u201d humans still have an obligation to fight for \u201cjustice.\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Live Like Sisyphus<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Camus describes the Greek mythological figure of Sisyphus as the perfect example of an absurd figure;<\/strong> for crimes he committed in life, the gods condemned Sisyphus to spend eternity in the underworld pushing a massive boulder up a hill, only for it to roll down again as soon as he reached the top. His commitment to this futile task, repeated over and over, represents everyday life, as people strive for meaning or for an escape from death that they can never achieve. Sisyphus himself represents the drive to live since he was known for his defiance of death\u2014different versions of the myth have him tricking or trapping Hades, the God of the Dead, in order to escape temporarily back to the surface\u2014which still couldn\u2019t save him from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though Sisyphus is generally invoked as an example of divine punishment or torture, Camus believes that Sisyphus is happy despite his fate.<\/strong> He\u2019s alive\u2014in the sense that he still has a consciousness, even though he no longer has access to the world of the living\u2014and he has a task to commit himself to, even if that task can never be completed. He continues to experience the world and to draw pleasure and strength from it. Camus argues that, like Sisyphus, a person committed to the absurd must dedicate themselves to being fully present for every second of life. Life\u2019s value doesn\u2019t come from the promise of eternity, or from any external source, but is self-evident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More Examples<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Camus ends the essay by providing further examples of absurd figures in fiction and the arts, particularly in the work of novelist Franz Kafka. Kafka\u2019s protagonists struggle to survive<\/a> in hostile worlds with authoritarian, incomprehensible rules, whether this means Josef of The Trial<\/em> being sentenced to execution for an unknown crime or K. of The Castle<\/em> spending years trying and failing to gain entrance to the titular seat of government. Despite their frustration and suffering, Kafka\u2019s characters cling to life\u2014going to work and building relationships with the untrustworthy figures around them\u2014even as their expulsion from the world (via exile or death) seems inevitable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exercise: Confront the Absurd <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Camus argues that everyone will recognize the absurd at some point in their lives, but that most people respond to this with philosophical rejection, as living an absurd life seems too painful to cope with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Have you ever experienced what Camus describes as the absurd? How did it make you feel, and how did you respond to it?<\/li>
  2. Camus argues that any attempt to concretely define the meaning of life is a form of self-delusion. Do you agree? Why or why not?<\/li>
  3. What does living an absurd life mean to you? How would you go about living it yourself\u2014are there any changes you\u2019d make to your behavior or lifestyle (for example, would you stay in your current career)?<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    What’s the meaning of life? Why does Albert Camus think that’s a ridiculous question to ask? The existentialist philosopher Albert Camus believes that, ultimately, life is absurd. We search in vain for meaning and purpose because it’s impossible to find them. He says we can choose to live in denial of this reality, end our own lives, or accept the absurd reality we inhabit. Keep reading to learn why Camus believes we should embrace the absurd.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":18634,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,9,43],"tags":[1131],"class_list":["post-111222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-philosophy","category-psychology","category-self-improvement","tag-the-myth-of-sisyphus","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nEmbrace the Absurd: Albert Camus's Advice for a Fulfilled Life - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Albert Camus says that life is absurd. We can live in denial of this reality, end our own lives, or embrace the absurd. 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