Albert Camus – The Myth of Sisyphus

Albert Camus, in the opening sentences of his book The Myth of Sisyphus, states: "There is only one truly important philosophical question: suicide. To judge whether life is worth living is to answer the fundamental question of philosophy."

Camus centers his philosophy around absurdism. Absurdism is a philosophical movement that argues that since there is no creator, humanity's attempts to find meaning in the universe are futile.

In the book, Sisyphus, punished by the gods for defying their order, is condemned to eternally roll a rock up a mountain. Each time he reaches the summit, the rock rolls back down, forcing him to start all over again. This endless and pointless effort symbolizes the human struggle for survival, repeating the same routines every day, unable to find ultimate meaning, yet still continuing to live.

Camus describes this situation as "absurd"; that is, the conflict between humanity's search for meaning and the universe's indifference to providing meaning. "Man is a solitary being, a product of chance in the universe. This world is disproportionate to man's desires; but it is precisely this disproportion that constitutes man's experience of the absurd. The universe is silent. Man, however, seeks meaning. This conflict is the birth of the absurd." Man is constantly in search of meaning; however, the universe offers no meaning to answer this search.

According to the book, there are three possibilities in the face of this absurd situation. The first is suicide, and he argues that suicide is not an absolute solution, but an escape. The second is leaping, an attempt to transcend this absurdity by rejecting it. This is usually done by seeking refuge in religion or another metaphysical meaning. But it is irrational, an illusion. According to him, the real solution is rebellion. It is to learn to live with the absurdity of life by accepting it. Because knowing that life has no predetermined meaning gives it the freedom to create its own meaning.

I agree with Camus that living is an act of rebellion, but I think imagining Sisyphus happy is optimistic. I believe Sisyphus is not happy and never will be, because his constant struggle to push the rock to the top of the hill, this endless cycle of suffering, has no meaning. It's just a burden that causes pain and suffering.

"Man is a solitary being who arose by chance in the universe. This world is disproportionate to man's desires; but it is precisely this disproportion that constitutes man's absurd experience. The universe is silent. Man, however, seeks meaning. This conflict is the birth of the absurd."