Continental Philosophy

Camus – The Absurd Man

Primary Source:

• Camus, “Absurd Freedom” and “The Absurd Man”, in MS, pp. 51-92

Background:

Having discussed philosophical suicide, Camus moves on to discuss how one can confront the absurd “without appeal” in the section entitles “Absurd Freedom”. He then looks at three modes of life which grapple with the absurd in “The Absurd Man”.

Questions:

• What does it mean to “live without appeal”?
• How is the possibility to live without appeal based on revolt, freedom, and passion?
• How are Don Juan, the Stage Actor, and the Conqueror all absurd men?

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