Albert Camus, French philosopher, author, and journalist
Albert Camus (November 7, 1913 – January 4, 1960) was a French philosopher, author, and journalist.
- His views contributed to the rise of the philosophy known as absurdism — which refers to the conflict between the human tendency to seek inherent value and meaning in life, and the human inability to find any.
- He wrote in his essay The Rebel that his whole life was devoted to opposing the philosophy of nihilism while still delving deeply into individual freedom. (Nihilism is a philosophical doctrine that suggests the lack of belief in one or more reputedly meaningful aspects of life. Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism, which argues that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value.)
- Camus won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1957.
Camus did not consider himself to be an existentialist despite usually being classified as a follower of it, even in his lifetime.
- In a 1945 interview, Camus rejected any ideological associations: “No, I am not an existentialist. Sartre and I are always surprised to see our names linked.”
- Camus was born in French Algeria to a Pied-Noir family and studied at the University of Algiers, from which he graduated in 1936.
- In 1949, Camus founded the Group for International Liaisons to “denounce two ideologies found in both the USSR and the USA.”
Words of Wisdom
Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.
