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A review by pho_ramen
The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus
5.0
I've picked up this book several times and put it back down out of boredom.
This most recent time, however, something struck a chord. His description of the absurd condition felt like he was taking the words out of my mouth. His proposal for how to deal with this predicament - rejecting suicide, but also hope - was one I've come to accept on my own before ever reading this. So I found it very compelling to follow his thoughts to see what conclusions came from this. I say "conclusions" loosely, because this isn't written like a philosophical argument meant to persuade you to his view. It's more like a descriptive poem, where you appreciate if it resonates with you, and find it boring if it doesn't.
Here's my hypothesis about how this book was written. Camus, over the course of his life, went through several existential crises and eventually noticed a pattern. After dwelling on the meaninglessness of everything for a while, you eventually find some resolution -- something to put Faith in. Gradually, you lose faith in this thing and end up back in another crisis. The process repeats, and you try to find some new resolution. But, having gone through this before, you begin to scrutinize your next resolution more critically. After going through this enough times, you eventually reach a point where it seems doubtful any resolution to your existential dread will last, and look for a 3rd path: embracing the absurd.
I have to wonder if Camus would like Buddhism. His philosophy seems similar, just with more emphasis on that conditions that make Buddhism compelling. Once you accept that everything is impermanent, it only makes sense that you should make the most of what you have. "One must imagine Sisyphus happy".
This most recent time, however, something struck a chord. His description of the absurd condition felt like he was taking the words out of my mouth. His proposal for how to deal with this predicament - rejecting suicide, but also hope - was one I've come to accept on my own before ever reading this. So I found it very compelling to follow his thoughts to see what conclusions came from this. I say "conclusions" loosely, because this isn't written like a philosophical argument meant to persuade you to his view. It's more like a descriptive poem, where you appreciate if it resonates with you, and find it boring if it doesn't.
Here's my hypothesis about how this book was written. Camus, over the course of his life, went through several existential crises and eventually noticed a pattern. After dwelling on the meaninglessness of everything for a while, you eventually find some resolution -- something to put Faith in. Gradually, you lose faith in this thing and end up back in another crisis. The process repeats, and you try to find some new resolution. But, having gone through this before, you begin to scrutinize your next resolution more critically. After going through this enough times, you eventually reach a point where it seems doubtful any resolution to your existential dread will last, and look for a 3rd path: embracing the absurd.
I have to wonder if Camus would like Buddhism. His philosophy seems similar, just with more emphasis on that conditions that make Buddhism compelling. Once you accept that everything is impermanent, it only makes sense that you should make the most of what you have. "One must imagine Sisyphus happy".