Showing posts with label Myth of Sisyphus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Myth of Sisyphus. Show all posts

Sunday, October 14, 2018

Is God Absurd?

In philosophy, "The Absurd" refers to the conflict between the human tendency to seek inherent value in the meaning of life and the human inability to find any. Camus employs this theory in his analysis of The Myth of Sisyphus.

Sisyphus, according to Greek legend, was condemned to forever repeat the same meaningless task of pushing a boulder up a mountain, only to see it roll down again. Camus believes that as long as Sisyphus accepts that there is nothing more to life than this absurd struggle, then he can find happiness in it. This notion of an absurd struggle is also expanded upon in Camus' writing of The Stranger.

In the The Stranger, on page 69 Camus writes, "He asked me if I believed in God. I said no. He sat down indignantly. He said that it was impossible; all men believed in God, even those who turn their backs on him. That was his belief, and if he was ever to doubt it, his life would become meaningless. 'Do you want my life to be meaningless?' he shouted." Camus emphasizes that without the presence of God this man's life would be meaningless. Dissimilar to the boulder that Sisyphus pushes, the presence of God in this man's life enables the man to live a life that is not absurd. Thus, the belief in God as a higher power enables individuals to live a life that is not absurd; God is not absurd.