Albert Camus

And Other Essays

The Myth of Sisyphus

hermes

Bianca Miller 

O my soul, do not aspire to immortal life, but exhaust the limits of the possible. -Pindar, Pythian ii

There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy. 

I see others paradoxically getting killed for the ideas or illusions that give them a reason for living (what is called a reason for Iiving is also an excellent reason for dying). 

juana de arco si estuviera cronicamente online

"In the middle of winter, l at last discovered that there was in me an invincible summer.”

mari

But if that reply is sincere, if it symbolizes that odd state of soul in which the void becomes eloquent, in which the heart vainly seeks the link that will connect it again, then it is as it were the first sign of absurdity.

To Chestov reason is useless but there is something beyond reason. To an absurb mund reason is useless and there is nothing beyond reason.

The absurd, which is the metaphysical state of the conscious man, does not lead to God. Perhaps this notion sill become clearer if I risk this shocking statement: the absurd is sin without God.

bella <3

when the images of earth cling too tightly to memory, when the call of happiness becomes too insistent, it happens that melancholy arises in man's heart: this is the rock's victory, this is the rock itself. 

"i conclude that all is well," says Edipus, and that remark is sacred. it echoes in the wild and limited universe of man. it teaches that all is not, has not been, exhausted. It drives out of this world a god who had come into it with dissatisfaction and a preference for futile suffering. it makes of fate a human matter, which must be settled among men.

Each atom of that stone, each mineral flake of that night filled mountain, in itself forms a world. The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.

Camus explains that this denseness, this strangeness of the universe is "the absurd"

Sophía Allan

At the heart of all beauty lies something inhuman, and these hills, the softness of the sky, the outline of the trees at this very minute lose the illusory meaning with which we had clothed them, henceforth more remote than a lost paradise.

Is this not true of art as well? And is this not one of the main drives of an artist? Camus seems to agree to a certain extent, insofar he deems art valuable solely in terms of it making us aware of the absurd: art makes us conscious of the absurd and thus should express revolt towards it (Camus and I will have to agree to disagree on certain points, though I fully agree at the base level)

Of whom and of what can I say: "I know that"! This heart within me I can feel, and I judge that it exists. This world I can touch, and I likewise judge that it exists. There ends all my knowledge, and the rest is construction. For if I try to seize this self of which I feel sure, if I try to define and to summarize it, it is nothing but water slipping through my fingers. I can sketch one by one all the aspects it is able to assume, all those likewise that have been attributed to it, this upbringing, this origin, this ardor or these silences, this nobility or this vileness. But aspects cannot be added up. This very heart which is mine will forever remain indefinable to me. Between the certainty I have of my existence and the content I try to give to that assurance the gap will never be filled. Forever I shall be a stranger to myself.

how does he make everyday life into poetry

Sadie Hoffman

He belongs to time, and by horror that seizes him, he recognizes his worst enemy.

i’m going to have 100 highlighted quotes from this book. Every sentence is a well-written and influential interpretation of our world.

Understanding the world for a man is reducing it to the human, stamping it with his seal. The cat’s universe is not the universe of the anthill.

His very heart which is mine will forever remain undefinable to me. Between the certainty I have of my existence and the content I try to give to that assurance, the gap will never be filled. Forever I shall be a stranger to myself.

This world in itself is not reasonable, that is all that can be said. But what is absurd is the confrontation of this irrational and the wild longing for clarity whose call echoes in the human heart. The absurd depends as much on man as on the world. For the moment it is all that links them together. It binds them one to the other as only hatred can weld two creatures together.

The soft lines of these hills and the hand of evening on this troubled heart teach me much more. I have returned to my beginning. I realize that if through science I can seize phenomena and enumerate them, I cannot, for all that, apprehend the world. Were I to trace its entire relief with my finger, I should not know any more. And you give me the choice between a description that is sure but that teaches me nothing and hypotheses that claim to teach me but that are not sure.

“In a sense, and as in melodrama, killing yourself amounts to confessing. It is confessing that life is too much for you or that you do not understand it.”

One of the most influential works of this century, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays is a crucial exposition of existentialist thought. Influenced by works such as Don Juan and the novels of Kafka, these essays begin with a meditation on suicide; the question of living or not living in a universe devoid of order or meaning. With lyric eloquence, Albert Camus brilliantly posits a way out of despair, reaffirming the value of personal existence, and the possibility of life lived with dignity and authenticity.

On my second read, I finally get it. It's a profound essay that ask you to face the central with uncomfy question: "Does the realization that life is meaningless require us to commit suicide?"

Camus describe the Absurd not as thing but a gap, a divorce between the human heart who yearns for meaning and the dense universe that offers you nothing but a silence. Most people live in a repetitive pattern until the question "why" arise and when they realize the universe won't answer that, they face the Absurd.

Camus reject the idea of hope and despair as an act to escape of that tension through: religion or mysticism, political ideologies and physical suicide. He calls these "philosophical suicide" because they kill the intellect to stop the pain of not knowing. 

Since there's no higher meaning to judge what a good life is, Camus suggest we focus on the quantity of experiences through characters like Don Juan, the Actor and the Conqueror as Absurd Man who lived with revolt, liberty and passion.

I'm not entirely agree on the 'quantity over quality' argument, but Camus is spot on when he calls out moral vanity. “You nowise deserve a privilege on earth and in heaven for having brought to perfection your dear little meek sheep; you nonetheless continue to be at best a ridiculous dear little sheep with horns and nothing more—even supposing that you do not burst with vanity and do not create a scandal by posing as a judge.” It felt like a slap for someone who act superior just because they follow the hope (not to mention religion specifically). In real life, even when people act morally, they often become aggressive or judgmental and think their goodness gives them the right to poke others with their horns of self-righteousness. The universe doesn't care if you're a saint. We should stop trying to be perfect for a reward and just be honest about who we are. The saint and sinner are both just humans standing in the same silent rain.

The book concludes that happiness and Absurd are linked, "One must imagine Sisyphus happy" because he has taken ownership of his rock, his own life. It feels like a "self-help" book but with a twist, most gurus tell you to focus on a goal (hope), whereas Camus tells you to focus on the process (the struggle). 

Live in the present without hope or despair and accepting that everything is temporary. You should find beauty in that fact.

On my second read, I finally get it. It's a profound essay that ask you to face the central with uncomfy question: "Does the realization that life is meaningless require us to commit suicide?"

Camus describe the Absurd not as thing but a gap, a divorce between the human heart who yearns for meaning and the dense universe that offers you nothing but a silence. Most people live in a repetitive pattern until the question "why" arise and when they realize the universe won't answer that, they face the Absurd.

Camus reject the idea of hope and despair as an act to escape of that tension through: religion or mysticism, political ideologies and physical suicide. He calls these "philosophical suicide" because they kill the intellect to stop the pain of not knowing. 

Since there's no higher meaning to judge what a good life is, Camus suggest we focus on the quantity of experiences through characters like Don Juan, the Actor and the Conqueror as Absurd Man who lived with revolt, liberty and passion.

I'm not entirely agree on the 'quantity over quality' argument, but Camus is spot on when he calls out moral vanity. “You nowise deserve a privilege on earth and in heaven for having brought to perfection your dear little meek sheep; you nonetheless continue to be at best a ridiculous dear little sheep with horns and nothing more—even supposing that you do not burst with vanity and do not create a scandal by posing as a judge.” It felt like a slap for someone who act superior just because they follow the hope (not to mention religion specifically). In real life, even when people act morally, they often become aggressive or judgmental and think their goodness gives them the right to poke others with their horns of self-righteousness. The universe doesn't care if you're a saint. We should stop trying to be perfect for a reward and just be honest about who we are. The saint and sinner are both just humans standing in the same silent rain.

The book concludes that happiness and Absurd are linked, "One must imagine Sisyphus happy" because he has taken ownership of his rock, his own life. It feels like a "self-help" book but with a twist, most gurus tell you to focus on a goal (hope), whereas Camus tells you to focus on the process (the struggle). 

Live in the present without hope or despair and accepting that everything is temporary. You should find beauty in that fact.

Penguin Modern Classics

one must imagine Sisyphus happy… masterpiece 😞🤚

muskaan bal

Emilia

essai sur l'absurde

Le mythe de Sisyphe

Léa

analysing this book was really difficult but somehow i did it and passed my exam and graduated highschool partly bc of it, thanks to the best teacher for recommending me this book it's now one of my favourite bokks ever :)

hileahrious

This was a tough thing, because I’m still not convinced by Camus’s argument, however... I simply must turn to page 54 and reread:

“It may be thought that suicide follows revolt—but wrongly. For it does not represent the logical outcome of revolt. […] Suicide, like the leap, is acceptance at its extreme.”

So, keep the revolution going, everyone.

Sisifos soyleni

Özgür Özer

Absurd kelimesinin uyumsuz olarak çevirilmesi rahatsız edici.

iamazoo

dare i say...this feels like camus at his most optimistic and uplifting? not complaining though.

Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are. Inspired by the myth of a man condemned to ceaselessly push a rock up a mountain and watch it roll back to the valley below, The Myth of Sisyphus transformed twentieth-century philosophy with its impassioned argument for the value of life in a world without religious meaning.

Derek

Alex 

"The Myth of Sisyphus" is a book I picked up as an attempt to find answers, but instead I found a piece of work which provided more or less of a framework for my ... existential crisis, so to speak. It addresses some of the most important aspects of human life, ranging from the temptation of suicide to the illusion of living. If I learned anything at all, it is that "beginning to think is beginning to be undermined". It might sound counterintuitive, but it is one of the truths I learned to tolerate. 

I started reading this book looking for answers, but Camus refrained from offering me such luxurious things. Instead of giving me hope, he took it away, and in an almost barbaric way, yet as gentle as one can be, reminded me that I have no future - and that's probably one way to summarise this book: a reminder that we do not belong to the future, but to the absurdity of our existence. One could attempt to escape it or one could attempt to go on living, but Camus chooses to look for a third way: incorporating the absurd in our daily lives.

My experience with the Absurd is a fairly intimate one, and as I stood there, amidst the darkness of my mind, intimidated by the terror and dread of the Absurd, I learned that the only option I truly have is to accept it. As Camus said, it became a passion, "but whether or not one can live with one's passions [...] that is the whole question". 

If imagining Sisyphus happy is something to live by, I should find my own happiness in this Theatre of the Absurd I am being a part of. After all, I tried for a while now to rationalise the Absurd, yet "the most universal rationalism always stumbles eventually on the irrational of human thought". For now, revolt, freedom and passion are enough. Eventually, though, even embracing the Absurd won't amount to anything in itself.

existentialism is a niche mentality. I get it, but it's hard to imagine leading a life with this obscuring my mind

Xin Ma

heleen de boever

Thought-provoking. Let me stare at the sky for a while now and contemplate the absurdity of life.

Lily Elizabeth Labella

TRIGGER WARNING FOR SUICIDAL IDEATION

Incredibly boring

Some good points at the end

Camus is funny, and he writes like we’re sitting in front of a fire talking over a finger of whisky. I’ll excuse myself and retire when I choose to, and he’ll accept it politely. He offers an alternative to the futile search for meaning in our short lives– simply to live, in revolt of the idea that it can be found. 

Danial Imran 

Difficult to read, but definitely recommended. Camus' writing, like his novels, lack any sense of flow - instead feeling like a choppy ramble. Perhaps that fault lies on the translation. But the ideas presented in this book are extremely liberating. Camus proposes that life is worth living, despite having no intrinsic value. His ideas diverge slightly from his contemporaries (such as Satre), enough to be classed into a separate stream of philosophy - but I would recommend this to any person who is interested in the search of a raison d'etre, or any person interested in the 20th century philosophy movement. 

Vedat Güven

Varoluşçuluk'tan çok yazarın kendi geliştirdiği absürdlük düşüncesi üzerine bir kitap. Mesela intihar etmeyi anlamsız bir şey olarak görüyor. Nasıl olsa hepimiz öleceğiz, öyleyse intihar, kaçınılmazı hızlandırmaktan baka bir şey değil. İnsan doğası gereği yaşamını sorgular; Camus'a göre varoluşumuzu anlamlandırmak ister. Ancak çoğu zaman arayışımızın cevabını doğada, evrende, yaşamın içinde bulamayız. Yabancı kitabının altyapısı hissediliyor. 

Camus'a göre intihar bir çözüm değildir. Absürt durumu bitirir ama yaşam da biter. Önemli olan iyileşmek değil, dertleriyle yaşamaktır. Hayatı yaşamaya değmeyeceği düşüncesi ile intihar etmek, hayata bir değer vermektir. Ancak yola çıkışımızla çelişen bir durum bu. 

Okumak için emek isteyen bir kitap. Üstüne kötü çeviriyi de ekleyince, hem zor okunuyor, hem zor anlaşılıyor. Kitabın adındaki "söyleni" mit demek. Kitap adının Sisifos Mit'i seçilmemiş olması bile sıkıntıyı gösteriyor.

Prashant Prasad

Kieran Wood

This book is fantastic. It is a very sobering account of the question of why you should bother living. Camus writing is fantastic, and incredibly insightful. His recounting of the absurdity of live, and why one should revel in these absurdities through revolt is really interesting. The way he outlines the human condition is unique, and has a certain charm to it.

My primary complaint with this book is that the prose is written in a somewhat confusing way, and relies heavily on long since outdated alliteration that will go over most people's heads. The book is relatively short, but will take longer than you expect for need of re-reading sections. Overall I would recommend this to anyone who has never read any existential philosophy, and any angsty teen/pre-teens out there.

The Myth of Sisyphus And Other Essays

Reviews

Highlights