ALBERT CAMUS

BIOGRAPHICAL INFO He was born in Dréan, French Algeria on November 7th 1913 His mother was a half deaf woman of Spanish descent. His father was killed a year after his birth in the battle of Marne in World War I He grew up without many possessions in the Belcourt sections of Algiers. His mother’s job was as a house cleaner who couldn’t read. He was admitted into lycée Lycée is like the high school in the French Educational System. He was then later admitted into the University of Algiers.

SPIRITUAL HISTORY AND POINT-OF-VIEW Albert Camus was raised Catholic. He was baptized at age 11. Albert Camus is an atheist. He converted to Atheism because he says it was “philosophical suicide” to believe in God. He also had Jewish heritage. This and his Jewish friends influenced him with his Semitic sympathizer.

“EXISTENTIAL” OR AESTHETIC POINT-OF-VIEW Albert Camus did not like to be labelled. However, Albert Camus’s work shares many themes with that of recognized existentialists. Camus like many other existentialists like Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, or Heidegger did not consider himself an existentialist. In a quote he declares, “No, I am not an existentialist… Sartre is an existentialist, and the only book of ideas that I have published, The Myth of Sisyphus, was directed against the so-called existentialist philosophers.” About his position as an absurdist he says, “If we assume that nothing has any meaning, then we must conclude that the world is absurd. But does nothing have any meaning? I have never believed we could remain at this point.”0o He saw existentialism as, “a complete and systematic world-view.” He saw the philosophy as an all or nothing, something he was unwilling to do. He actively set himself apart for the existentialist motto that being precedes essence. He sees humans as having an essential element of dignity and value, in this part being closer to the humanist tradition.

ETHICAL POINT-OF-VIEW He believes to be called something you must have the credentials to back the notion. For example, when called a philosopher, he refused the notion because he believed to be one you need have been rigorously trained in various fields, must have systematic thinking, logical constituency, and a coherent carefully defined body of ideas. He believes to be happy you must live in the moment because “you will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of.”

INFLUENCE OF OTHERS Jean Grenier Plotinus Augustine of Hippo

JEAN GRENIER Jean Grenier was a French philosopher and writer who was born on February 6, 1898 in Paris, France. He became qualified to teach philosophy in 1922 in Naples. Jean Grenier mostly wrote about non-figurative contemporary art. Grenier was Albert Camus’s philosophy professor in high school in Algiers, Algeria. He influenced Albert more than anyone else. They met in 1932 and shared an unbreakable connection and friendship. However, they had slightly different views. Camus was more into the revolutionary aspect of philosophy and Grenier was more on the contemplative side. Camus dedicated his first book to him known as L'envers et l'endroit. L'envers et l'endroit Grenier published many books and filled many notebooks until his timely death in 1971.

PLOTINUS Plotinus was a major philosopher who was born in 204 AD in Lycopolis, Egypt. He lived in the Ancient philosophy era and was taught by Ammonius Saccas. He studied philosophy when he was 27 in Alexandria. Plotinus had three principles in his philosophy: the One, the Intellect, and the Soul. The One “cannot be any existing thing”, nor can it not be everything. It is an experience that goes beyond all multiplicity. The Intellect is also known as Nous. Nous is the term that is used to describe the necessity of understanding the truth. It stands for intuition and awareness. The Soul is also known as psyche. Psyche is the central force in thought, emotion, and behavior of an individual. It is derived by “the One”, through the mediums of nous and the world soul. After years of studying and influencing, Plotinus died at 66 in 270 AD. His books influenced Albert Camus.

AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO Augustine of Hippo (Saint Augustine or Saint Austin) was a philosopher and bishop who influenced the development of Western Christianity and Western philosophy. He was born on November 13, 354 in Thagaste, Numidia (modern day Algeria). Plotinus influenced St. Augustine by a lot. However, St. Augustine created his own perspectives of philosophy. He believed that freedom relied heavily on the grace of Christ. He developed the idea of the Catholic Church when the Western Roman Empire was dying down. He believed that humans are a perfect combination of soul and body. He introduced many theories; including the three categories of students. The categories of students are the students who have been taught by educated teachers; the students who have not been taught at all; and the student who has had little education but has faith in himself to be intelligent. He balanced his philosophy with religion until his death at age 75 in 430. Like Plotinus, his books influenced Albert Camus.