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The Myth of Sisyphus Summary
About The Myth of Sisyphus Book
A Nobel Prize-winning author delivers one of the most influential works of the twentieth century, showing a way out of despair and reaffirming the value of existence.
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 presents a crucial exposition of existentialist thought.
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The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus (Complete summary)
Chapter One: An Absurd Reasoning
Albert Camus' task is to find the most important philosophical questions to human. Then he came up with it and states:
"There is but one truly philosophical problem, and that is Suicide"
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The Absurd
The problem is generated by taking these two position: "Life is meaningless" and "Human desire for meaning."
This will create an absurdity, a contradiction. Why still seek when there is none, why still live when existence and life itself is meaningless?
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Why Meaningless
- We live our lives as if we're not aware of the certainty of death that we will meet into the end of it.
- Science and Metaphysics only explained the world descriptively. Any interpretation in attempt in "making sense" in our life will end up in meaningless abstraction.
- The true knowledge and rationality cannot truly explain the world or give meaning to it.
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"The Myth of Sisyphus" by Albert Camus is a fascinating read. Camus is a hardcore existentialist (which I'm not particularly in agreement with) but his ideas remain monumental to the mind. These are a collection of quotes I gathered while reading the book.
We get into the habit of living before acquiring the habit of thinking."
ALBERT CAMUS
33
"It is always easy to be logical. It is almost impossible to be logical to the bitter end."
ALBERT CAMUS
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"All great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning. Great works are often born on a street corner or in a restaurant's revolving door. So it is with absurdity. The absurd world more than other derives its nobility from the abject birth."
ALBERT CAMUS
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LIFE VIA QUOTES FROM PERSPECTIVE OF CAMUS
I don't know whether this world has a meaning that transcends it. But I know that I do not know that meaning and that it is impossible for me just now to know it.
What can a meaning outside my condition mean to me?
I can understand only in human terms.
ALBERT CAMUS
7
“Life is a sum of all our choices.”
ALBERT CAMUS
8
Rising, streetcar, four hours in the office or the factory, meal, streetcar, four hours of work, meal, sleep, and Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday and Saturday according to the same rhythm.
This path is easily followed most of the time.
But one day
the "why" arises and everything begins in that weariness tinged with amazement."
ALBERT CAMUS
7
Artsy Existentialist
- Artsy Existentialist: where an Existentialist meets a nihilist.
- Our existence is the serendipitous outcome of random events.
- There are no right answers when it comes to existence because there weren't supposed to be any.
- Existential realization is the fine line between Existentialism and Nihilism.
- Philosophy only comes to fruition in general life when the Existentialist stops questioning and realizes that there might not be any answers.
- Only accepting the realization enables the artsy side.
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An obsolete originality Part-1
"Art is amazing isn't it? It doesn't just appeal to your senses but your soul too." In a cold winter night an art gallery has organised small exhibition of varied artist to be specific painter. There were beautiful paintings engrossed and painted both on plain paper and canvas. It touches many subjects i.e. mother holding a baby, nature reaviling it's beauty, some abstract ideas, demigods, heroic act of fighters, some women centric figure and many more.
3
An obsolete originality Part-2
A lady in her thirties without giving much thought stopped at one of the painting, which perhaps yet not finished and due to dim light no one has noticed either.
The painting was bit odd from others. It has half face, covered in beauty with sorrow, sad eyes with ambition, lips had smile but eyes had tears, it reflect fulfilled life with unfulfilled drems and yet it was confident figure, though half part was not revealed.
A man was looking at the act, approaches the lady and asked, "Madam, it is not worth your time perhaps, it seems incomplete."
3
An obsolete originality Part-3
Lady with skirmish eyes look at him and said what do you mean by incomplete?
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