Albert Camus Tee

Albert Camus (1913–1960) was a French-Algerian philosopher, author, and journalist who developed the philosophy of absurdism. Born into poverty in French Algeria, he worked his way through the University of Algiers while battling tuberculosis. His essay The Myth of Sisyphus (1942) posed what he considered the fundamental philosophical question: whether life is worth living in a universe devoid of inherent meaning. Rather than advocating suicide or a "leap of faith," Camus argued that one must acknowledge the absurd—the conflict between humanity's desire for meaning and the universe's silent indifference—and continue living with passion, revolt, and solidarity. His novel The Stranger (1942) depicted a man whose emotional detachment leads to his condemnation by society. The Plague (1947) explored themes of collective suffering, moral courage, and human resistance against forces beyond our control. Camus won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1957 at age 44. His later work The Rebel (1951) examined revolutionary violence and argued for measured revolt over ideological extremism, sparking a permanent rift with Sartre. He died in a car accident at age 46.