IOP Journal #2

The goal of my IOP is to accurately reflect Camus philosophy according to The Stranger. To do this I will steer away from mentioning existentialism and focus on the absurd. Camus did not like being lumped in to being called an existentialist and I will honor this in my presentation. Camus described The Stranger as "the nakedness of man faced with the absurd" and this is where the inspiration to my presentation comes from.

The Myth of Sysphus is also a source of inspiration of my presentation. This is an essay Camus wrote on absurdism and also a Greek myth. In the Greek myth, Sysphys is condemned by the gods to an eternity of preforming a futile task--rolling a boulder up a mountain, only to see it roll back down to be rolled back up again. According to Camus, this is the embodiment of the absurd. Sysphis has no meaningful purpose, and no hope for progression. In life, Camus argues that we all have no meaningful purpose and no hope for progression. This is reflected through the character Mersault in The Stranger. Mersault is a dynamic character, and through him shines Camus philosophical ideas.