The Myth of Sisyphus Albert Camus

In his 1942 essay The Myth of Sisyphus, French Algerian philosopher and journalist Albert Camus describes his philosophy of the absurd. The absurd is both a feeling and a condition of existence—it describes the irreparable tension between the human desire for meaning and purpose in life, and the inevitability of oblivion and death. Camus draws on existentialist theory to argue that humans are doomed to an absurd condition, and rather than denying this via religious belief or surrendering to it via suicide, you should continue to live and try to derive as much fulfillment as you can from your brief existence.This guide will break down Camus’s theory of the absurd, which is built on the work of existentialist philosophers like Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche and writers such as Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Franz Kafka. We’ll also consider the historical context of Camus’s ideas, how absurdism has influenced other writers, and Camus’s 1942 novella The Stranger, which he intended to be read alongside The Myth of Sisyphus.