Sartre & Camus - Existentialism and Absurdism

After Nietzsche tore down the old world, 20th-century French philosophers tried to figure out how to live in the ruins. They met in Parisian cafes, smoked endless cigarettes, and argued about being.

Sartre made Existentialism famous. His key idea: "Existence precedes Essence."

• The Paperknife: If you make a paperknife, you have a purpose in mind (essence) before you create it (existence).
• Humans: We have no creator (assuming atheism). So we exist first, and we define our purpose later through our actions.

"Man is condemned to be free." Because there is no God/Destiny to blame, you are 100% responsible for your actions. That anxiety you feel? That's the dizziness of freedom.

Camus was Sartre's friend (until they had a massive falling out). He agreed life has no inherent meaning, but he disagreed on the response.

Absurdism is the conflict between:

1. Humans who crave meaning.
2. The Universe which offers silence.

The Myth of Sisyphus: Sisyphus is cursed to roll a boulder up a hill forever, only to watch it roll back down. Camus says this is our life. We work, we strive, we die. It's pointless. But he concludes: "One must imagine Sisyphus happy." The act of rolling the boulder is the revolt. We find joy not in the destination (which doesn't exist), but in the struggle itself.

Philosophy isn't about finding "The Answer." It's about realizing that you are the one who has to write the answer.

Socrates taught us to question. Descartes taught us to think. Nietzsche taught us to create. Camus taught us to live.

Class dismissed.

1. The Book:

• "The Stranger" by Albert Camus.
• A short novel about a man who refuses to pretend to feel emotions he doesn't feel.

2. The Play:

• "No Exit" by Jean-Paul Sartre.
• Three people locked in a room. Contains the famous line: "Hell is other people."