Meursault isn't an anti-nihilist, either. Although he is saying that human life will eventually end and that we should seek our own meaning in life, he isn't altruistic or virtuous. He'd be closer to an Übermensch, especially since one of the tenets of absurdism is to reject hope, and fight against despair, knowing all the while that you will inevitably be crushed by the Absurdity of the universe.
Also: "One of the defining works of Existentialism, and deeply satirical."
Camus was not a supporter of the existentialist movement. He merely created absurdism, which was an idea that Søren Kierkegaard had hinted at while working on existentialism. Quoted from wikipedia (people will likely criticize me for using this as a source, but c'est la vie):
'Acceptance of the Absurd: a solution in which one accepts the Absurd and continues to live in spite of it. Camus endorsed this solution, believing that by accepting the Absurd, one can achieve absolute freedom, and that by recognizing no religious or other moral constraints and by revolting against the Absurd while simultaneously accepting it as unstoppable, one could possibly be content from the personal meaning constructed in the process. Kierkegaard, on the other hand, regarded this solution as "demoniac madness": "He rages most of all at the thought that eternity might get it into its head to take his misery from him!"[6]'
tl;dr: Camus and his works=/=Existentialism
Edited by 216.99.32.45
The description of the character here, and from my recollection of it in reading the book, seems more like The Anti-Nihilist than Nietzsche Wannabe. Should that be changed?
Edited by Fireblood Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.-Philip K. Dick Hide / Show Replies