Myth of Sisyphus
The Myth of Sisyphus (French: Le Mythe de Sisyphe) is a 1942 philosophical essay by Albert Camus. The English translation by Justin O'Brien was first published in 1955.In the essay, Camus introduces his philosophy of the absurd: man's futile search for meaning, unity, and clarity in the face of an unintelligible world devoid of God and eternal truths or values. Does the realization of the absurd require suicide? Camus answers: "No. It requires revolt." He then outlines several approaches to the absurd life. The final chapter compares the absurdity of man's life with the situation of Sisyphus, a figure of Greek mythology who was condemned to repeat forever the same meaningless task of pushing a boulder up a mountain, only to see it roll down again. The essay concludes, "The struggle itself [...] is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy."
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What Hacker News says
- Currently at the end of "The Plauge" by Albert Camus after recently also reading "The myth of Sisyphus" and "The stranger".
I've found all three very enjoyable and unexpectedly applicable to real life for being philosophical texts.
- > Is there anything I can do?
Have you tried reading Camus' essay "The Myth of Sisyphus"?
- The Myth of Sisyphus By Albert Camus. A great philosophy book, not that hard to read, about the absurdity of life. Camus talks about suicide in this context, and why life still has meaning despite its absurdity. The Art of Not Giving A Fuck by Mark Manson. As the title implies, it talks about caring less about what other think (while not being a narcissist). And how it can make you more happy and more likeable.
- I had no idea Albert Camus was an anarchist, I've read some of his work (The Myth of Sisyphus and The rebel) and it shouldn't really surprise me to find out he is a socialist of some form.
Edit: If it isn't clear Camus is a fantastic writer and you should definitely check out some of his work, and more articles from https://libcom.org/ if you have the time!
- At the very least, even if you haven’t read Camus, I expect that any programmer of any experience should already have some intuitive sympathy with “The Myth of Sisyphus.”
- You should read The Myth of Sisyphus by Camus, which points in the same direction.
It even briefly discusses the Dostoyevski quote by the sibling comment.
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