April 2 – Existentialism & AbsurdismAgenda:•Is death bad for you?

• Discussion•Existentialism & Absurdism•Albert Camus

• Existential Moralism• The Stranger

•Chapter 1 & Absurdism

Homework:•Read “The Myth of Sisyphus” and complete the reading questions•Read Chapters 2, 3 and 4 (~20 pages)

Take out:•Pen/Pencil•Notebook•Highlighter•The Stranger•“…Death…” reading and answers

Kagan – Is Death Bad for You?• Considering what you have read about (the deprivation

account, the existence requirement (modest and bold), Epicurius’ argument, Lucretious’ argument, shmoss vs. loss) try to answer the question a second time:

• Is death bad for you?

• This is an EXISTENTIAL question

Notes: Two Philosophical Movements

Existentialism:

• Centered on the analysis of individual existence in an unfathomable universe

• Considers the plight of the individual who must assume ultimate responsibility for acts of free will without any certain knowledge of what is right or wrong or good or bad

It is:• A belief that neither human

beings nor the universe has any essential, predetermined nature.

• Therefor human beings construct their natures through their choices.

Absurdism:

• Human need for meaning is greater than the ability of the universe to be meaningful, making all philosophical positions absurd

• Absurdism essentially says that the world is so nonsensical, so absurd, that you can’t expect to find meaning in it anywhere

• The search for order brings the individual into conflict with the universe

Camus’ Existential Moralism• Human beings inhabit a moral universe in which there are no absolute guidelines

• Nonetheless, we have an ethical sense that we try to live up to

• Most of us want to be “good people,” though it is difficult to define exactly what this means

• Life constantly presents us with moral choices without giving us the right answers

• The various ways that we try to define a moral code and live by it constitute our moral being

• We define ourselves as moral beings by the choices that we make within the ethical system that we construct

The Stranger (L’ Etranger)

• Main character/narrator: M. Mersault

• Takes place in Algiers (Northern Africa)

• Algiers was controlled by the French from 1830-1962

• The Arabs in the story are a reflection of the native population, while the French are the foreigners

• Story follows M. Mersault – an “odd” young man

Chapter 1• Write a heading on a piece of paper (you will be turning

this in)• Having read chapter 1, answer the following question,

using at least two concrete details, and your basic understanding of Absurdism:

• How does Mersault embody Camus’ Absurdist perspective?