The Great Depression By Albert Camus - 997 Words

Albert Camus was a philosopher who was born in Algeria on November 7, 1913. His writings, like so many others, were impacted by the Great Depression, the rise of National Socialism and Communism, and the destruction of, and reconstruction after World War II. He contributed multiple works as part of the â€Å"Continental† philosophy tradition of mainland Europe. Major works include The Rebel, The Stranger and most recognized The Myth of Sisyphus. He died in France in 1960, in a car accident while writing his final masterpiece - an early example of the dangers of texting and driving. Camus’ views helped in contributing to the rise of Absurdism and was also recognised as a key contributor to Atheist Existentialism. He is often labeled with other Existential philosophers including: inheriting from the foundational works of Kierkegaard and Kafka, whose Metamorphosis can be seen as an excellent example of absurdity; Martin Heidegger, who like Camus rejected being called existentialist, though Heidegger’s association with the Nazis probably was a more problematic label; but most importantly, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Sartre’s lover and philosophical peer, Simone de Beauvoir. Camus, Sartre and de Beauvoir were friends and associates, specifically when working together on Sartre’s Le Temp Modernes, or Modern Times, a periodical that was foundational for many of Continental Europe’s philosophical writings from 1945 to the present day. Looking at Camus with Sartre is an interestingShow MoreRelatedAlbert Camus-the Outsider1194 Words   |  5 PagesO’Brien. First published in French as L’Etranger in 1942, Albert Camus’ The Outsider addresses the constrictive nature of society and what happens when an individual tries to break free from the conformity forced upon him by staying true to himself, and following his own ideal of absolute truth and sincerity in every action. Propelled more by the philosophy of existentialism and the notion of the absurd than plot and characters, Camus’ novel raises many questions about life, and answers themRead MoreThe Portrayal of Society in Of Mice and Men and The Outsider Essay1430 Words   |  6 Pageseconomic problems in rural labor. Good examples of books written by John Steinbeck: dubious battle (1936), of mice and men (1937), the long valley (1938) and east of Eden (1952). The story line is written in the beginning of the 1930’s during the great depression. George and Lenny are two drifters seeking for a job so they will have enough money to pursue their dream. They found a work on a farm in Californias Salinas valley where their hopes and dreams were shattered as Lenny was struggling againstRead MoreAlienation Is Not A New Thing1640 Words   |  7 Pagesinclude Albert Camus, Ha Jin, and Franz Kafka. â€Å"The Strangers,† written by Albert Camus, is a short story that focuses on the effect that indifferent emotions have on the detachment of the main character Meursault. The story begins from Meursault’s perspective with the straightforward quote, â€Å" Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know. I got a telegram from the home: ‘Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow. Faithfully yours.’ That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe it was yesterday† (Camus 3). ThisRead MoreLiterary Works Of Authors Like Albert Camus, Franz Kafka And Virginia Woolf1340 Words   |  6 Pageslike Albert Camus, Franz Kafka and Virginia Woolf, will do exactly this by walking the reader through stories that teach lessons about the inner morals of the main characters in these works of literature. Albert Camus wrote a post war literary piece called The Guest. An everyday American could benefit from reading this book because it will first teach a lesson in history in which people always used to treat people who looked or behaved differently than them in extremely inhumane ways. A great exampleRead MoreEssay about The Philosophy of Existentialism1069 Words   |  5 Pagesperson himself gives it value!! Although some might argue that Existentialism goes back to the times of Socrates –‘one should know thy self’ - , the Existentialistic ideas mainly started becoming famous at a time of great despair and depression, which followed the Great Depression and World War II. Societies were so fed up and unhappy, that any tiny bits of light would have made them optimistic. It is very noticeable that philosophers who were greatly interested in that belief and kept developingRead MoreHolden Caulfenstein And Absurdity772 Words   |  4 PagesIn The Catcher and the Rye, by J. D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield confronts the absurdities of life, identical to those of Albert Camus in The Myth of Sisyphus. In The Myth of Sisyphus, Camus tells â€Å"of an apartment-manager who had killed himself I was told that he had lost his daughter 5 years before, that he had changed greatly since, and that that experience had ‘undermined’ him.† Just as the absurdity of the ap artment-building manager’s daughter had undermined him, so has the absurd death of AllieRead MoreThis Essay Explains A Point Of View On The Meaning Of Life.1002 Words   |  5 Pagesthe land and nature. However, rather than being too reckless and dying, humans have the primary instinct to survive and find a reason to live, which I think is an entirely separate concept from the actual meaning of life. This briefly touches on depression, suffering, and suicide, and relates it to how finding a reason to live, however small, can help avoid that, as well as death. Humans are only scared of dying because they found a reason to live and stay. Keywords: reason, life, live, meaningRead MoreLiberation, Rebellion, and Relevance2471 Words   |  10 PagesLiberation, Rebellion and Relevance In â€Å"The Rebel an essay on man in revolt,† Albert Camus (1956) muses on the absurd origins of rebellion and art and their significance to the individual and society. While reading Camus I began to think about how important art really is and how appalling some of the trends in education and arts funding apparently are. This is what inspired me to write this paper but my intention is not to directly address any of the many and various issues concerning arts educationRead MoreIs Suffering an Inescapable Part of Life? Are There Any Advantages?4432 Words   |  18 Pageslife, it does make them who they are and gives them reasons to seek happiness. Many philosophers have pondered over the questions of suffering throughout history and have come up with my differing answers, views, and opinions. Siddhartha Gautama, Albert Camus, and Friedrich Nietzsche, each pondered this topic and have left us with three very different views on it. Siddhartha Gautama is the man that Buddhists recognize as the founder of Buddhism, and the Supreme Buddha. It is believed that SiddharthaRead MoreAppeal, The Breakthrough Self-Help YouHave Been Looking For713 Words   |  3 Pagesshould only do activities that you really enjoy. Well, thats completely obvious. But you arent doing it mister self-help junkie! How many times have you done an activity because some self-improvement site or book said it will help with your depression, fix your social problems, or get you a girlfriend. For example, meditation, volunteering, jogging, going to the nightclubs 7 days a week, playing a musical instrument, doing college clubs you dont really like, and on, and on, and on. All in