Existentialism, Albert Camus, and The Stranger

1. Existentialism, Albert Camus, and The Stranger Albert Camus (1913 - 1960), a French philosopher of the absurd, novelist, and dramatist

2. 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

3. 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)

4. 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

5. 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.”

6. 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.

7. 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

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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

13. 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