The fundamental subject of The Myth of Sisyphus is this: it is legitimate and necessary to wonder whether life has a meaning therefore it is legitimate to meet the problem of suicide face to face. Perhaps Camus finds meaning in a meaningless revolt against an all-powerful absurd force, but I can't find a modicum of purpose in fighting an undefeatable opponent.Īlbert Camus gives in the preface an explanation of his intent: The very absurdity he attempts to revolt against leads to the birth of a new absurdity. Instead, it brings another absurdity to the table: the absurdity between the perception of meaning, and the reality of the meaninglessness of revolt against something undefeatable.

Revolting against something so prevalent and undefeatable in our lives however, does not carry the meaning that would facilitate a purpose in life, for it bears no meaning whatsoever. But only if there's meaning behind the revolt. Revolting against something undesirable always has meaning. I don't understand, so let me explain my position.Ĭamus is of the mind that in revolt against absurdity (that absurdity being the clash of the spirit and the world) we discover the meaning of life. He states that the meaning of life is to live in revolt of the absurd, and let the goal of rolling the stone up the hill be your purpose. Together, these two variables combine to create absurdity in their conflict.

To do this, he plays on the idea of the 'absurd,' the conflict between man's search for meaning, and the world's apparent meaninglessness. In The Myth of Sisyphus and other Essays, Albert Camus seeks to answer the question of the meaning of life.

The myth of sisyphus meaning