Editing Albert Camus (section)

==Philosophy==
===Existentialism===
Even though Camus is mostly connected to [[absurdism]],{{sfn|Sherman|2009|p=3}} he is routinely categorized as an [[Existentialism|existentialist]], a term he rejected on several occasions.{{sfnm|1a1=Sharpe|1y=2015|1p=3|2a1=Sherman|2y=2009|2p=3}}

Camus himself said his philosophical origins lay in ancient Greek philosophy, Nietzsche, and 17th-century moralists, whereas existentialism arose from 19th- and early 20th-century philosophy such as [[Søren Kierkegaard]], [[Karl Jaspers]], and [[Martin Heidegger]].{{sfnm|1a1=Foley|1y=2008|1pp=1–2|2a1=Sharpe|2y=2015|2p=29}} He also said his work, ''The Myth of Sisyphus'', was a criticism of various aspects of existentialism.{{sfn|Foley|2008|pp=2}} Camus rejected existentialism as a philosophy, but his critique was mostly focused on [[Sartre]]an existentialism and – though to a lesser extent – on religious existentialism. He thought that the importance of history held by Marx and Sartre was incompatible with his belief in human freedom.{{sfnm|1a1=Foley|1y=2008|1p=3|2a1=Sherman|2y=2009|2p=3}} David Sherman and others also suggest the rivalry between Sartre and Camus also played a part in his rejection of existentialism.{{sfnm|1a1=Sherman|1y=2009|1p=4|2a1=Simpson|2y=2019|2loc= Existentialism}} David Simpson argues further that his humanism and belief in human nature set him apart from the existentialist doctrine that [[existence precedes essence]].{{sfn|Simpson|2019|loc= Existentialism}}

On the other hand, Camus focused most of his philosophy around existential questions. The absurdity of life and that it inevitably ends in death is highlighted in his acts. His belief was that the absurd – life being void of meaning, or man's inability to know that meaning if it were to exist – was something that man should embrace. His opposition to Christianity and his commitment to individual moral freedom and responsibility are only a few of the similarities with other existential writers.{{sfnm|1a1=Sharpe|1y=2015|1pp=5–6|2a1=Simpson|2y=2019|2loc= Existentialism}} Camus addressed one of the fundamental questions of existentialism: the problem of suicide. He wrote: "There is only one really serious philosophical question, and that is suicide."<ref>"You cannot give coherence to murder if you refuse it to suicide. A spirit penetrated by the idea of the absurd undoubtedly admits the murder of fatality, but would not be able to accept the murder of reasoning. In comparison, murder and suicide are one and the same thing, which must be taken or left together." {{Cite book |title=L'Homme revolté |trans-title=The Rebel |publisher=Gallimard |location=Paris |date=1951 |page=17 |language=fr}}</ref>
Camus viewed the question of suicide as arising naturally as a solution to the absurdity of life.{{sfn|Aronson|2017|loc=Introduction}}

===Absurdism===
Many existentialist writers have addressed the Absurd, each with their own interpretation of what it is and what makes it important. Kierkegaard suggests that the absurdity of religious truths prevents people from reaching God rationally.{{sfn|Foley|2008|pp=5–6}} Sartre recognizes the absurdity of individual experience. Camus's thoughts on the Absurd begin with his first cycle of books and the literary essay ''The Myth of Sisyphus'', his major work on the subject. In 1942, he published the story of a man living an absurd life in ''[[The Stranger (Camus novel)|The Stranger]]''. He also wrote [[Caligula (play)|a play]] about the Roman emperor [[Caligula]], pursuing an absurd logic, which was not performed until 1945. His early thoughts appeared in his first collection of essays, ''Betwixt and Between'', in 1937. Absurd themes were expressed with more sophistication in his second collection of essays, {{lang|fr|Noces}} (''[[Nuptials (Camus)|Nuptials]]'') in 1938. In these essays, Camus reflects on the experience of the Absurd.{{sfn|Sherman|2009|p=23}} Aspects of the notion of the Absurd can also be found in ''The Plague''.{{sfn|Sherman|2009|p=8}}
[[File:Tipaza stèle Albert Camus.jpg|thumb|A stele made in [[Tipaza]] in 1961 by the French painter Louis Bénist, on which is engraved an extract from [[Nuptials (essays)]]: “Here, I understand the concept of glory: the freedom to love boundlessly.”.]]

Camus follows Sartre's definition of the Absurd: "That which is meaningless. Thus man's existence is absurd because his contingency finds no external justification".{{sfn|Foley|2008|pp=5–6}} The Absurd is created because man, who is placed in an unintelligent universe, realises that human values are not founded on a solid external component; as Camus himself explains, the Absurd is the result of the "confrontation between human need and the unreasonable silence of the world".{{sfn|Foley|2008|p=6}} Even though absurdity is inescapable, Camus does not drift towards [[nihilism]]. But the realization of absurdity leads to the question: Why should someone continue to live? Suicide is an option that Camus firmly dismisses as the renunciation of human values and freedom. Rather, he proposes we accept that absurdity is a part of our lives and live with it.{{sfn|Foley|2008|p=7-10}}

The turning point in Camus's attitude to the Absurd occurs in a collection of four letters to an anonymous German friend, written between July 1943 and July 1944. The first was published in the {{lang|fr|Revue Libre}} in 1943, the second in the {{lang|fr|Cahiers de Libération}} in 1944, and the third in the newspaper {{lang|fr|Libertés}}, in 1945. The four letters were published as {{lang|fr|Lettres à un ami allemand}} ('Letters to a German Friend') in 1945, and were included in the collection ''Resistance, Rebellion, and Death''.

Camus regretted the continued reference to himself as a "philosopher of the absurd". He showed less interest in the Absurd shortly after publishing ''The Myth of Sisyphus''. To distinguish his ideas, scholars sometimes refer to the Paradox of the Absurd, when referring to "Camus's Absurd".{{sfn|Curtis|1972|p=335-348}}

===Revolt===
Camus articulated the case for revolting against any kind of oppression, injustice, or whatever disrespects the human condition. He was cautious enough, however, to set the limits on the rebellion.{{sfnm|1a1=Sharpe|1y=2015|1p=18|2a1=Simpson|2y=2019|2loc=Revolt}} ''[[The Rebel (book)|The Rebel]]'' explains in detail his thoughts on the issue. There, he builds upon the absurd, described in ''The Myth of Sisyphus'', but goes further. In the introduction, where he examines the metaphysics of rebellion, he concludes with the phrase "I revolt, therefore we exist" implying the recognition of a common human condition.{{sfn|Foley|2008|pp=55–56}} Camus also delineates the difference between revolution and rebellion and notices that history has shown that the rebel's revolution might easily end up as an oppressive regime; he therefore places importance on the morals accompanying the revolution.{{sfn|Foley|2008|pp=56–58}} Camus poses a crucial question: Is it possible for humans to act in an ethical and meaningful manner in a silent universe? According to him, the answer is yes, as the experience and awareness of the Absurd creates the moral values and also sets the limits of our actions.{{sfn|Hayden|2016|pp=43–44}} Camus separates the modern form of rebellion into two modes. First, there is the metaphysical rebellion, which is "the movement by which man protests against his condition and against the whole of creation". The other mode, historical rebellion, is the attempt to materialize the abstract spirit of metaphysical rebellion and change the world. In this attempt, the rebel must balance between the evil of the world and the intrinsic evil which every revolt carries, and not cause any unjustifiable suffering.{{sfn|Hayden|2016|pp=50–55}}