Looking for what meaning? (Review of Camus's view on the meaning of life)

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Tehran

Abstract

Is life worth living? Camus is one of the contemporary thinkers who revisit philosophy in the face of this Socratic question. He considers man's crisis today as a crisis of meaning in the realm of life, and through consciousness of human’s selflessness and the rejection of any kind of epistemic approaches to life such as metaphysical systems and religious schools, he has tried to provide a way for understanding the nihilism and the absurdity of mankind. In the meantime, by impersonating man and his life, rejecting any religious and metaphysical beliefs, and redefining such concepts as dignity, decency, and the theme of rebellion, as well as living in the present, he intends to show a way to help man heal and get through this nihilism, and likewise, provides a new meaning to man’s modern life.
This article briefly explores the various theories of "meaning" in the discussion of the "meaning of life", along with the interpretation of Albert Camus' perspective. Finally, by referring to some of the fundamental conflicts that exist in Camus' view of the meaning of life, it provides a way to critique this view.

Keywords

References

1. Alizamani, Amir Abbas, (2007), "Meaning of the Meaning of Life", Philosophy of Religion, No 9, pp. 59-90.
2. Bayat, Mohammad Reza, (2011), Religion and the Meaning of Life in Analytical Philosophy, Qom: University of Religions Press.
3. Camus, Albert, (2006), The Myth of Sisyphus, translated by Mahmoud Soltanieh, Tehran: Jami.
4. Camus, Albert, (2005), The Presentiment of Being, translated by Mohammad Taghi Ghiasi, Tehran: Negah.
5. Camus, Albert, (2002), Plague, translated by Reza Seyed Hosseini, Tehran: Niloufar.
6. Camus, Albert, (2000) The Myth of Sisyphus (trans. J. O’Brien). London: Penguin
7. Camus, Albert, (1983), Plague, translated by Mostafa Hosseini, Tehran: Agah.
8. Camus, Albert, (1970), Philosophy of Absurdity, translated by Mohammad Taghi Ghiasi, Tehran: Payam.
9. Cottingham, john, (2003), On the Meaning of Life, London and New York: Routledge. Taylor Francis Group.  
10. Kamber, Richard, (2006), Camus Philosophy, translated by Khashayar Deihimi, Tehran: Tarh e Nou.
11. Heidegger, Martin, (2010), Being and Time, translated by Abdolkarim Rashidian, Tehran: Ney.
12. Heidegger, M., (1962) Being and Time (trans. J. Macquarrie and T. Robinson). Oxford: Blackwell
13. Hick, John, (2007), "Religious Meaning of Life", in: Meaning of Life, translated by Azam Pouyazadeh, Tehran: Adyan.
14. Macquarie, John, (1997), Martin Heidegger, translated by Mohammad Saeed Hanaei Kashani, Tehran: Garous.
15. Metz, Thaddeus, (2000), "Could God Purpose Be Source of Lifes Meaning?" In: Religious Studies, no. 36. Pp. 293-313.
16. Metz, Thaddeus, (2003), "Modern Essays on the Meaning of Life", translated by Mohsen Javadi, Naghd va Nazar, No. 29 & 30.
17. Metz, Thaddeus, (2013), “The Meaning of Life,” The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, hrrp://plato.stanford.edu/entries/life-meaning.
18. Quinn, Philip, (2000), How Christianity Secures Lifes Meaning, in the meaning of life in the world religions, Runzo and Martin (ed.), (2000), Oxford: one world publication.
19. Stace, Walter, (2003), "There is Meaning in Meaninglessness", translated by Azam Pouya, Naghd va Nazar, pp. 29 - 30.
20. Stace, w. t., (1999), "There is Meaning in Absurdity', in: Pojman, Louis. P. (ed) Philosophy the Quest for Truth, New York: Wadsworth publishing company, pp. 541-548.
 21. Wolf, Susan, (2003), "The Meaning of Life", translated by Mohammad Ali Abdullahi, Naghd va Nazar, No. 29 & 30.

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics