Albert Camus and the Political Philosophy of the Absurd

Matthew H. Bowker is visiting assistant professorof interdisciplinary studies at Medaille College. He is the author of Rethinking the Politics of Absurdity: Albert Camus, Postmodernity, and the Survival of Innocence.

• Chapter 1: IntroductionAlbert Camus’ AbsurdAbsurdity in Moral and Political PhilosophyAbsurd ConfusionAn Absurd and Ambivalent WorldThe Organization of this WorkChapter 2: Absurdity in ContextNietzsche’s Tragic EthosKierkegaard’s Absurd FaithSartre’s Existential ApproachSamuel Beckett and the Theatre of the AbsurdThomas Nagel’s Attitudinal ApproachChapter 3: The Meaning of Absurdity: Albert Camus and his CriticsThe Meaning of Camus’ AbsurdThe Status of Camus’ AbsurdAbsurd Facts, Data, and ValuesChapter 4: Absurdity and AmbivalenceAmbivalence in the Early Psychoanalytic Tradition: Bleuler and FreudAmbivalence and Splitting in the Work of Melanie KleinAmbivalence and the Borderline PersonalityAbsurdity as AmbivalenceCamus’ Absurd Ambivalence, Part 1: MergerClarity and UnityLoving Mother NatureJean Grenier’s InfluenceCamus’ Absurd Ambivalence, Part II: Selfhood and AutonomyThe Three RefusalsChapter 5: Absurdity and Ambivalence in The StrangerThe Modern Subject and Kant’s Kingdom of EndsMeursault’s TabooCritical AbsurditiesChapter 6: Revolt, Resistance, or Rebellion?The Road to RévolteThe Is and Ought of the AbsurdRevolt and Rebellion in The RebelMetaphysical Rebellion and the Origins of the Absurd IdealWhen Good Rebellions Go Bad: RevolutionChapter 7: A Grounding for an Absurd Political MoralityAbsurd BorderlandsAbsurd ResponsesSplitting Into All or NothingAmbivalence and the Limitation of RebellionLa Mesure and ModerationPlagues Within and WithoutRebellion and CreativityBad Faith, Good RevoltChapter 8: Political Theoretical ConclusionsKaliayev and the ‘Just’ AssassinsCamus’ AlgeriaConclusionReferencesAbout the Author

Bowker recasts the Camusian theme of absurdity in pursuit of a distinct moral and political philosophy. . . .He disentangles the absurd from Camus's biography and codifies an independent ethic of the absurd. Beginning with a historical overview of the absurd, the author details the doctrine of absurdity directly through close analysis of Camus's works and indirectly through the lens of the concept of ambivalence. Both The Stranger and The Rebel function as loci in Bowker's analysis, and the exegetical chapters examining each book offer subtle reappraisals of traditional scholarship. Bowker wraps up with two chapters arguing for the relevance of absurd morality in the political sphere, and he ends with a turn back to Camus's biography and views on political assassinations and Algerian independence. In the end, Bowker posits that a political morality of the absurd arises through acknowledgment that all political systems and acts are fraught with injustice and that one need not necessarily rebel against them. Only by embracing the absurd can one develop a creative and mature ethical space for political deliberation. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty.