Existentialist philosophers are concerned with the nature of human existence. For the atheist amongst these, such as Albert Camus (1913–1960), the correct answer to what is perhaps one of the chief philosophical questions – whether life has a meaning – is a firm ‘no’. However, for Camus and co., positives can be drawn from this seemingly negative conclusion.
In Camus’ view, humans have an innate desire to find some meaning to their existence; they also want the world to make sense and to be just. But we find ourselves in a Godless universe which is simply incapable of affording us such things. Events unfold, and there’s nothing to ensure that they do so rationally, or justly, or for any greater purpose. This desire that life have significance when it has none makes the world seem ‘absurd’. For Camus, the correct attitude for us to take towards the absurdity of life is scorn. To illustrate this, he draws upon the ancient Greek myth of Sisyphus. Sisyphus is condemned by the gods to eternally and repeatedly roll a huge rock up to the top of a mountain, whereupon it immediately rolls back to the bottom. His futile endeavour is analogous to our monotonous-task-filled lives. We repeatedly complete the ‘daily grind’, but if life has no meaning, we do so for no higher purpose. Now, Sisyphus would easily be defeated by his situation if he allowed himself to feel defeated by it. But suppose he, in a scornful manner, decided to go about his incompletable task cheerfully. By thinking, ‘**** you! I’m gonna enjoy this!’, he would take some control over his fate and free himself from its frustration. Similarly, we can free ourselves from the bleakness of our own situation, but that will depend on what attitude we take towards it. As Camus says: ‘the struggle itself…is enough to fill a man’s heart’. | |||