Albert Camus - Humane Existentialism

During his sojourn on this planet earth man is perpetually haunted by certain existential questions. There is a congenital inquisitiveness in him to explore his roots and know his origin. Who am I? Where have I come from? What will happen to me when my corporal frame perishes are some of the fundamental questions that constantly keep brewing in the mind of every sensitive man. When it comes to these existential and metaphysical issues, it is not just the enlightened spiritual sages who strive to unravel the mysteries. The writers of all ages have also attempted to address these subtle and baffling issues in their own way. One school of literature, the proponents of which, predominantly dwell on the existential dilemmas are collectively known as existentialists. While journeying through the labyrinthine lanes of existentialism we bump into a towering man Albert Camus who takes the world of literature by storm with his masterpieces like The Myth of Sisyphus, The Fall, The Outsider, A Happy Death, The Rebel, The Plague, and so on. The early exponent of existentialism Soren Kierkgaard is of the opinion that human life does not have any meaning at all. Therefore, man ought to take refuge under the tutelage of religion as only religion can bring him inner solace and serenity. The connotations of existentialism underwent a drastic change in the 20th century when Camus wrote his treatise on this doctrine. Camus gives credence to the view that man is alone in this world and he has the freedom to do anything. However, this sense of freedom generates an anguish and metaphysical anxiety. Anxiety, in this context, is not to be confused with Freudian or psychoneurotic anxiety. That type of ailment, what we may refer to as the psychological type, belongs to the low-order problem of being out of synchronization with one's social ambience. This situation is absolutely different from what we here understand as existential anxiety. This is the profoundest level of anxiety,signifying alienation not merely from one's fellow human beings but from the very world where one resides in. Unlike kierkgaard, Camus's religiosity lies in humanism and morality. Repelled and disgusted by the prevalence of rampant corruption in religious institutions, Camus opines that spirituality has been hijacked by religion and morality is not only the monopoly of the theists. An atheist can be as moral as a theist.

Here, one must remember that Camus' morality is practical humanistic morality which questions the conventional parameters of societal morality. The societal or theistic morality is a sham. We can project ourselves to be compassionate but are still in favour of capital punishment. To understand the complete ambit of Camus' morality, one must read his essays on The Abolition of Capital Punishment. Camus believes that religious or spiritual morality has made us blood-thirsty because it justifies the execution of a person from the religious perspective. " I can not endorse the pretentious ethical behaviour of the society that does not question the so-called justification of judicial murder," he writes in "My Morality".

Only when we are compassionately moral and non-religious in approach, can we see and empathise with the plight of a condemned convict, who is sermonised before execution. Isn't it double-standard? Asks Camus. Camus' brand of Existentialism lays emphasis on the dignified existence of an individual. It cannot be trivialised by the State or Society. The sacredness of existence, human existence makes Camus a humanitarian Existentialist who is involved in the existence of the whole like the metaphysical poet John Donne who remarks, "any man's death diminishes me for, I am involved in the mankind........." This practical, not mere theoritical involvement of Camus and his engagement with the ethical issues like an individual's life, one's own life and the life of the mankind can be seen and viewed as the crux of his encompassing philosophy. Camus and all Existentialists were not armchair philosophers living in their ivory towers and eating lotus-stems. They were all moral activists and that is why, Existentialism is also known as philosophical activism. Galvanizing the masses, relating to them and addressing their dilemmas are the facets of Existentialism, especially, of Camus' Existentialism.

Self-justification in the face of societal censure emboldens Camus and his Existential philosophy. His books are, therefore, not just readable tomes but thought-stirring screeds that raise questions and do not leave them unanswered. 'To read Camus is to read life in its nakedness,' aptly observes the critic Dennis Neil. At the end of the day, we are all humans and the humanity is the core of it. This humanity with all its values must be preserved, sanctified and honoured. This sums up Camus' humane Existentialism.

- The writer is HoD of English Language and Linguistics, Dev Samaj PG College For Women, Ferozepur