In 1942, Albert Camus wrote a book called The Myth of Sisyphus. It's about one really important philosophical issue: Given the circumstances of our existence, shouldn't we just commit suicide? Here is the answer:
First, Camus describes those moments in our lives when our ideas about the world suddenly stop working, when all our efforts seem meaningless, including our typical daily routine (work-home-work). When you suddenly feel like a stranger and cut off from this world.
In these frightening moments, we are clearly aware of the absurdity of life.
Mind + Unreasonable World = Absurd Life
This absurd sensibility is the result of conflict. On the one hand, we make reasonable plans for life, and on the other hand, we are faced with an unpredictable world that does not correspond to our ideas.
So what is the absurdity? Be reasonable in an unreasonable world.
This is the main conflict. When our rational ideas about the world collide with reality, we experience tension.
The main problem is that we can safely call our ideas about the world "eternal", but at the same time we know that the time of our life is limited. We all die. Yes, you too.
Therefore, if reason and the unreasonable world are the key components, then we can "cheat" and avoid the problem of absurdity by simply eliminating one of the two components, as Camus argues.
Denial of an unreasonable world
One way is to ignore the meaninglessness of our existence. Contrary to obvious evidence, we can pretend that everything is stable and live in accordance with distant goals (retirement, important discovery, afterlife, human progress, etc.). Camus says that if we do this, we will not be able to act freely, since our actions are connected with these eternal plans, which are most often doomed to crash on the rocks of the unreasonable world.
From this point of view, it would be pointless to cling to our reasonable models. We would be forced to live in denial, we would just have to believe.
Rejection of reasonable justifications
The second strategy for avoiding the absurd is to drop reasoning. Camus mentions various variations of this strategy. He alludes to philosophers who either declare reasoning to be a useless tool (Shestow, Jaspers) or say that this world follows divine reasoning that people simply cannot understand (Kierkegaard).
Both methods are unacceptable to Camus. He calls any strategy of ignoring the problem of the absurd "philosophical suicide".
Rebellion, freedom and passion
If "philosophical suicide" is not an option, what about actual suicide? Camus cannot justify suicide philosophically. Suicide would be a loud gesture of acceptance - we would accept the contradiction between our human mind and the unreasonable world. And to commit suicide in the name of reason is not entirely reasonable.
Instead, Camus suggests doing the following:
1. Permanent revolution: we must constantly rebel against the circumstances of our existence and thus keep the absurd from dying. We should never accept defeat, even in the fight against death, although we know that it cannot be avoided in the long run. Constant rebellion is the only way to be a part of this world.
2. Reject eternal freedom: Instead of becoming slaves to eternal patterns, we should listen to the voice of reason, but be aware of its limitations and apply it flexibly in relation to the current situation. Simply put: we must find freedom here and now, and not hope for eternity.
3. Passion. The most important thing is that we always have a passion for life, we need to love everything in it and try to live not as best as possible, but as much as possible.
An absurd person knows about his mortality, but still does not accept it, knows about the limitations of his reasoning, but still cherishes them. Gaining life experience, he experiences both pleasure and pain, but still tries to get as much experience as possible.
Art of the Absurd - Creativity without such a thing as "tomorrow"
Albert Camus dedicates the third part to an artist who is fully aware of the absurd. Such an artist will never try to explain or consolidate timeless ideas, or diligently attempt to build a legacy that will stand the test of time. These acts negate the unreasonable nature of the world.
Instead, he favors the absurd artist who lives and creates in the moment. He is not tied to just one idea. He is a Don Juan of ideas, willing to give up on any painting just to spend one night with another. From the outside, these painful efforts in relation to something so short-lived seem meaningless - and this is the whole point! Artistic expression begins where reason ends.
Why Sisyphus is a happy man
We all know the ancient Greek story of Sisyphus, who rebelled against the gods and was therefore punished. He was sentenced to push the boulder up the hill, just to watch it roll down and try to pick it up again. And again. And so for all eternity.
Camus concludes his book with a surprising, bold statement:
"Sisyphus should be imagined happy."
He says that Sisyphus is the perfect model for us, as he has no illusions about his pointless situation and yet rebels against circumstances. Every time the boulder rolls off the cliff again, Sisyphus makes a conscious decision to try again. He keeps pushing that rock and admits that this is the whole point of existence: to be truly alive, to keep pushing.
Source: habr.com