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"For if there is a sin against life, it consists perhaps not so much in despairing of life as in hoping for another life and in eluding the implacable grandeur of this life"

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"For if there is a sin against life, it consists perhaps not so much in despairing of life as in hoping for another life and in eluding the implacable grandeur of this life"

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Culture: the cry of men in face of their destiny

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Culture: the cry of men in face of their destiny

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This reminds me of the final 'cry' in the Stranger, in which Meursault shook the chaplain and said that he felt - once the priest had left - that he felt 'cleansed' having done so. In fact, this idea of a final cry can be tied back to nihilistic existentialism - the idea that all life is meaningless and must be given fabricated, subjective meaning: it could be interpreted as saying one's life is the 'cry' aimed at destiny - destiny being that all die having had no impact on earth, leaving nothing to posterity.

What puzzles me, however, is the "Culture:" as I cannot see how this pertains to The Stranger or to one of Camus' works. I suppose one could think that the culture refers to society - men banding together to give meaning to their life - culture giving meaning to lives through offering routes through which one can live life → such as professions.

- Vincent

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"I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't and die to find out there is." 

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"I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't and die to find out there is." 

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This a very cautionary approach to life, and can be extrapolated to a less spiritual approach by thinking: if you were walking through a forest which you know to be infested with bears and hear what you think is a growl, it would be better to run away under the presumption that there is a bear nearby only to then find out that there wasn't a bear, rather than not do anything under the presumption that you're just imagining things to later find out that there was a bear and you're probably going to die. However, this slightly contradicts some of Camus' other texts. By living life thinking that there is a God for the fear of dying and realising that there was and that he had not believed in Him, wouldn't Camus be limiting his existence/the actions he takes during life, hence limiting his ability to seek pleasure in life? Moreover, this would imply a deeper meaning to life + higher power, which would also contradict many of Camus' texts and beliefs, which say that there is no deeper purpose to life. It could, however, be said that it does agree with the idea that human beings give their own life meaning, as Camus is choosing to believe in God for his own inner peace and calm than not believing and worrying over the fact that there might be a God. Thus, this quote is ambiguous in its nature and depends on interpretation. -Sarah Dagher

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"Man is an idea, and a precious small idea once he turns his back on love."

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"Man is an idea, and a precious small idea once he turns his back on love."

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- "Precious" and "small" seem like they almost contradict each other: "precious" has a rather positive connotation, while "small" seems to have a negative connotation in this context (small idea = worthless or wrong?)
- Is he stating that the point of life is to find or experience love?
- Would match the other writings of his we read - the idea that life has no meaning, but we give it meaning in how we choose to live life and the values we adopt
- Despite life having no meaning - love makes a man's life meaningful

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Charm is a way of getting the answer yes without asking a clear question - Camus

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Charm is a way of getting the answer yes without asking a clear question - Camus

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Jeez, no wonder this guy had more than three girlfriends at a time during most of his life. What a smooth criminal. It's not as if he had the good looks to justify this lifestyle. But he grabbed what he had and made the best of it. The best of it being named the sexiest man on Earth by Vanity Fair. Kind of exemplifies his philosophy of making the best of what we're granted.
- Nico

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"For if there is a sin against life, it consists perhaps not so much in despairing of life as in hoping for another life and in eluding the implacable grandeur of this life"

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"For if there is a sin against life, it consists perhaps not so much in despairing of life as in hoping for another life and in eluding the implacable grandeur of this life"

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"Don't wait for the last judgement- it takes place every day"

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"Don't wait for the last judgement- it takes place every day"

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"Don't wait for the last judgement- it takes place every day"

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"Don't wait for the last judgement- it takes place every day"

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- Idea that one must not wait to the end of his/her life to reflect on it, for life should be a constant evaluation to understand oneself. Process of introspection is something that happens progressively, not all of a sudden when one is out of time.
- connection to religion, final judgement
- back to idea we talked about during discussion, Camus uses religion as a way to expand his ideas and make them more global
María

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"For if there is a sin against life, it consists perhaps not so much in despairing of life as in hoping for another life and in eluding the implacable grandeur of this life"

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"For if there is a sin against life, it consists perhaps not so much in despairing of life as in hoping for another life and in eluding the implacable grandeur of this life"

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How can sincerity be a condition of friendship? A taste for truth at any cost is a passion which spares nothing.

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How can sincerity be a condition of friendship? A taste for truth at any cost is a passion which spares nothing.

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- "sincerity": the quality of being free from pretense, deceit, or hypocrisy
- "a passion which spares nothing": meaningless promises that establish strong emotion
- being truthful is meaningless as it causes meaningless dispute because of strong emotion
- LS -

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Kindness is not what makes a friendship, honesty should be the base of each relationship because honesty can help much more than "fake" kindness.

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Charm is a way of getting the answer yes without asking a clear question - Camus

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Charm is a way of getting the answer yes without asking a clear question - Camus

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Jeez, no wonder this guy had more than three girlfriends at a time during most of his life. What a smooth criminal. It's not as if he had the good looks to justify this lifestyle. But he grabbed what he had and made the best of it. The best of it being named the sexiest man on Earth by Vanity Fair. Kind of exemplifies his philosophy of making the best of what we're granted.
- Nico

With charm you get everything in  life without asking for anything. If you are charming people are naturally inclined to give you things because in the human mind reacts and feels as if the charm deserves something.

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"Don't wait for the last judgement- it takes place every day"

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Or perhaps he might be arguing that man is far-reaching, capable of many things, but once he turns his back on love he is capable of very little - hence making that which he is capable of worth more to him "precious," in a sense
- Vincent

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Camus would rather be disappointed finding out that there is no God. Rather than going on with his life not knowing that God does exist. Is he embarrassed about his life? Is he scared of what would happen if God knew what he did during his life?
-Sarah F

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Yeah

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An existentialist or absurdist lives his life from day to day. They don't look to the future for events nor towards the past. They will react to the events around them as soon as possible

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"Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better"

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"Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better"

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- natural right of human beings
-state of mind that people create creative and inspiring things
-spirit of freedom can give individuals power to overcome or achieve anything
-society restricts, "lack of freedom"

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"Man wants to live, but it is useless to hope that this desire will dictate all his actions"

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"Man wants to live, but it is useless to hope that this desire will dictate all his actions"

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Someone's will to live won't affect all of their life decisions; sometimes people will risk it all for what they think is worth it

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"For centuries the death penalty, often accompanied by barbarous refinements, has been trying to hold crime in check; yet crime persists. Why? Because the instincts that are warring in a man are not, as the law claims, constant forces in a state of equilibrium." - Camus

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"For centuries the death penalty, often accompanied by barbarous refinements, has been trying to hold crime in check; yet crime persists. Why? Because the instincts that are warring in a man are not, as the law claims, constant forces in a state of equilibrium." - Camus

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Death Penalty is futile, I'd even go to the lengths of saying that any sort of severe punishment is futile in stopping man from committing crime. The forces of equilibrium often slip and therefore cause man to commit crime. It reminds me of the trial which took place in The Stranger, where the defendant claimed that a good individual that had a slip should not be punished so severely for his act. It is a commentary on how the nature of man makes it inevitable for crime to occur and therefore such a severe punishment should be avoided, especially death which deprives man from redemption. From the opportunity to make things better. However, it could also be commenting on how a man who accepts his death is unaffected by the penalty.

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- lack of freedom = no self improvement (or at least less opportunities)?
- "chance" implies it is not guaranteed
- "freedom" implies no restrictions...allows us to be genuine but restrictions needed to keep order?

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"Man is the only creature that refuses to be what he is"

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"Man is the only creature that refuses to be what he is"

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-society is fake
-reminds me of "The Right Mask", how the poet is refusing to accept his identity and is using others to cover up who he really is
-do we refuse because its difficult to accept ourselves or because we have the choice to be someone we are not?
-is this refusal conscious or unconscious?
-"creature" negative connotation
-contradiction between "man" and "creature", man implies human yet creature does not

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"Beauty is unbearable, drives us to despair, offering us for a minute the glimpse of an eternity that we should like to stretch out over the whole of time"  

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"Beauty is unbearable, drives us to despair, offering us for a minute the glimpse of an eternity that we should like to stretch out over the whole of time"  

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Beauty in our society shows us what we should strive to be but at one point in life, people strive for the unachievable. Self- beauty is a relative term that is impossible to achieve in your own eyes. To stretch out our beauty is not possible racing against time.

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Camus was one to argue for basking in the pleasures of life. One of them being the carnal pleasures and beauty. He was aware how it could bring one to madness and pain, but still tells us that it is worth it

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what is the meaning of the word consent???

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-reminds me of rape, no consent, and manipulation

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"You are forgiven for your happiness and your successes only if you generously consent to share them" - Camus

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"You are forgiven for your happiness and your successes only if you generously consent to share them" - Camus

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- don't be greedy, share what you have with the less fortunate
- It is okay to have more than others if you are willing to give some away to those who are not as "happy" and "successful" as you are
- gives a negative connotation to happiness and success, makes them sound like they are 'sins'
- Sarah F

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Is happiness something one should feel bad about?  Is it bad for one to keep their own happiness to themselves?
I think there are two ways this quote can be interpreted. Either Camus thinks that people should feel bad about being happy when there are many unhappy people in the world, or he is saying that one only can be happy with their triumphs when they are shared

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"Every revolutionary ends up either by becoming an oppressor or a heretic"- Camus

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"Every revolutionary ends up either by becoming an oppressor or a heretic"- Camus

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This quote reminds of one of many Camus philosophies that in a way we have our fate decided for us, no matter what we do in our life we will all end up dying. Therefore we, humans, give meaning to life meaning in a way it doesn't matter if you are the oppressor or a heretic. As you will end up in the same place.

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I find this agrees with Camus' idea of all lives equaling each other - none being worth more than another. I also think Meursault's reaction towards the Chaplain represents the idea of liking one's life and not seeking another's, as Meursault states they are similar in their nihilistic approach and that they differ but in freedom.
- Vincent

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"In order to exist just once in the world, it is necessary to never again exist" -Sofi

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"In order to exist just once in the world, it is necessary to never again exist" -Sofi

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Existence is a simple concept; remaining on the earth for a temporary amount of time. Existence is not much more than that. However, if one wants to live in the world just once, it is impossible to never again live, because one life time does not provide us with enough experience to say that we truly "lived".

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This quote reminds me of some beliefs expressed in The Unbearable Lightness of Being my Milan Kundera. The reason we live the way we do is because we have neither a past life for comparison to know which choice or decision is better, and because we know we will not have a future life to improve or take a different decision. Therefore, we need to know that we will have no second chance at life to be able to take decisions and risk.

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- "heretic": a person believing in or practicing religious heresy
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people are aware that these repercussions exist. they would not execute the crime that could potentially result in the death penalty if they weren't aware (or they're just stupid). to them, this is worth dying for.

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If happiness is a sin - and must be forgiven - then should one really seek happiness? Society judges you even when you appear to have found happiness - you are never able to free yourself from society's judgement. Furthermore, how can one share happiness if everyone's definition of happiness is subjective and different?
- Vincent

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"All is permitted does not mean nothing is forbidden"
How might this tie back to the perception of charm?

Perhaps Camus might be attempting to argue that Charm acts as a key to the world - but this key does not absolve people of personal responsibility, as Camus argues when he states the 'absurd man' sees without judging, but holds people personally responsible. Furthermore, "Charm" is perhaps negatively perceived because of it being used as manipulative in nature.

The lack of a 'clear question' requires discussion: in itself it puzzles me more than the act of obtaining a 'yes' to any question. How can one obtain an answer without posing a question? Camus insinuates that charm begets a positive response - manipulative without intent of manipulation perhaps. However, the danger - and negative connotation - stems from the fact that such Charm can be used by the charmer intentionally - manipulating people on purpose. The reason why it is seen as negative is that not everyone has charm - but no one can resist charm. Reminiscent of Perfume's idea of smell being unavoidable.
- Vincent

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"You are forgiven for your happiness and your successes only if you generously consent to share them"

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"You are forgiven for your happiness and your successes only if you generously consent to share them"

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Why would you ever need  to be forgiven for your success and happiness? Should you also feel sorry for doing better than others?
Of course you can share your success and happiness with others but I highly disagree with the fact that according to Camus you are obliged to do so or that you should be forgiven for being happy

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The only "sin" (as dictated by religion, which Camus uses as a guide to understand the nature of his philosophy), is the attempt of desiring another life that is not ours. It is an evil cycle to wish for another existence as it is a nature that in itself is impossible to achieve. The sin, as described by Camus, is to not use what is readily available to the individual and use it to his/her advantage. Moreover, trying to avoid or stop the continuity of one's life through the desire of living in another existence is the sin itself. Moreover, working away towards a future afterlife is a waste of the life you are currently living.

-Sofi

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"But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads?"

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"But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads?"

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This quote is almost like a mathematical equation where all the variables are very simple and clearly defined. The thing that is harder to define is what creates the harmony between a man and the life he leads. How do we define harmony? Is it different for everyone or can we also create an equation to define it?
This made me think of psychology with Pavlov and his simple way of defining human nature (very primitive).

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One must not cheat on life with another life, but rather work to live the day to day. We are given one life and we must live it to the fullest, rather than continue looking forwards in search of our future. Whether it be religious waiting and working for heaven or for the next stage of our life.
School -> University -> Work