Camus In Ten Minutes

[@myplaylist2468]

Life's not worth living, but it's certainly not worth dying over.

[@myplaylist2468]

I always thought religion was fear of death and afterlife, not questions regarding being alive.

[@myplaylist2468]

Heh heh ... Natural yearning.

[@myplaylist2468]

Mind you - I can see the suicide route working, if planned properly. My own requires rhinos to still be around in 47 years. My plan is to take a little blue pill at 80, then my first hallucinogen. I shall then attempt to rape the rhino. I assume it will be in a zoo, so even if it doesn't trample me to death I'll at least be in the newspapers.

[@myplaylist2468]

I love that I will never share this philosopher with my friend and family, because there is no point in doing so. It amuses me that I will not 'favorite' this, I wonder if I will stumble across this again?

[@Krippybtw]

Pls don’t rape the rhino what did it do to u it’s a living creature who may think diff from u and love their life

[@eccentricbazaar2606]

This just reminded me of my first existential crisis in first grade when I learned that the sun would one day burn up the earth.

[@belachewkellecha1573]

did you confront it ?

[@user-pn4ij5we9r]

@@belachewkellecha1573 I also had one around 2nd grade but I just accepted it by thinking I'll be long gone before that so it's not that scary

[@Polyglot_English]

🤙 Determinism is Freedom 🤙

[@LeeHimuraBr]

I got the same feeling... felt like there was a hole in my stomach for a long time.

[@craigb4913]

If it's any consolation, our species will likely be gone long before the sun takes life on Earth out. 😊

[@TheModernHermeticist]

You cannot create experience. You must undergo it. Albert Camus

[@migo9284]

Can someone explain me this quote? Thanks

[@Polyglot_English]

🤙 Determinism is Freedom 🤙

[@zaksilva-sampaio7876]

Camus' Sisyphus is like me at my job in the kitchen. I gotta throw out orders as fast as i can make it perfect, clean it all up, and come back the next day to do it all over again. It's stressful, shitty, and i go nuts everyday, but I find some kind of bliss in the middle of absolute hatred of the job.

[@ericdodson2644]

Nice comparison!

[@What-go8ng]

Sure, cuz you'd probably go crazy if you didn't.

[@danielmancillas5672]

Zak Silva-Sampaio I hope I meet that goal

[@zachyboi7293]

I perfectly understand and align my views with those of camus except for his thoughts on how to deal with the mundane nature of life. I agree that everyday living feels like clockwork- especially in the grand scheme of things, but me somehow finding enjoyment in it because of how burdensome it is doesn't fit with me. Sure it's quite entertaining to step back and look at how absurd the human condition is, yet just like a funny joke you used to find hilarious, it quickly begins to run stale given enough time. After awhile the zing is run out and the juice that the observation once had is just left with the same despair you began with. I used to crack a slight smile when I thought about how insane it all is- now it has become an annoying afterthought. It falls victim to the same repetition of everything else in life. A tiny post-it note reminding me of how pointless my struggle is doesn't amuse me *in the long run*.

[@m-bronte]

lol there is honor in working hard....even if it's a repeat.

[@Feintgames]

This guy is my fucking hero right now.

[@andrewviceroy5976]

Camus or Dodson?

[@manbehindthesun6476]

who ? camus ? a hero or a philosophical joker?

[@garyklinga2310]

I would like to see the development of a spiritual absurdist community. I think people are getting enlightened. Promising.

[@suncabbage]

I am a college student who recently got assigned an essay about Camus's definition of absurdity (specifically related to The Myth of Sisyphus). I've never studied philosophy, so you can imagine how confused I've been! I have watched many videos and read many explanations, but this one was by far the most helpful. Thank you.

[@pauldirc..]

How are you doing sir

[@neutronpixie6106]

I was going to be a philosopher but then I thought, "What's the point?"

[@g.j]

Neutron Pixie we can also ask "what's the point of not being one?"

[@Polyglot_English]

🤙 Determinism is Freedom 🤙

[@danielvso]

LOL Perfect!

[@dank_shiv]

Thinking that made u a philosopher 😂

[@mralexander99]

I never knew until recently that when Sisyphus reached the top of the hill --- right after the boulder rolled down (again) --- as he was just about to head down the hill....there was this slight smile on his lips and a glint joy in his eye.

[@SerWhiskeyfeet]

Your videos are criminally underrated and I really appreciate your efforts. Quality stuff, thank you!

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, thanks for the vote of confidence. Probably the "under-rated" thing is mostly due to the fact that I'd don't do social media, so I don't get much advertising for my videos... Anyhow, thanks for tuning-in. Eric D.

[@paulburger9904]

Eric Dodson I send them to my friends. Really useful for people starting in philosophy. Much appreciated.

[@chirantans2162]

@@ericdodson2644 Truly underrated!!

[@coolworx]

I love Camus - I consider him a source of hope. Does that make me weird?

[@ericdodson2644]

+Noah Namey Well, it's probably somewhat unusual, demographically speaking. However, it seems perfectly comprehensible to me. After all, which is really the more dispiriting, hopeless view of life.... Camus's, with its insistence on a lucid, unflinching appraisal of our existential plight? Or, the more common one, which would insist that we go around thinking nice, happy, un-disturbing thoughts all of the time?... Of course, there's also a bit of a paradox there, since Camus also regards "hope" as a form of philosophical suicide... So it goes.

[@JCloyd-ys1fm]

+Noah Namey Where you say 'weird,' I would say interesting.

[@DanBrandenburg]

+Noah Namey I can't help but disagree. Honestly, I find his arguments very unconvincing. I wish I could find him as a source of hope, but it seems that by doing so, we're just (once again) being philosophically suicidal.

[@erodgenator]

+Noah Namey That makes you awesome! :D

[@skylerr6625]

+Noah Namey No it doesn't Noah. I struggled with my own existence for a long time before reading "The Myth of Sisyphus."

[@clb6675]

you’ve been the best at explaining this at its most basic. Thank you sir

[@30Randoms]

Really appreciate these videos, thank you for doing them

[@DSAK55]

I need Camus In Thirty Minutes

[@Polyglot_English]

🤙 Determinism is Freedom 🤙

[@traich]

Thank you Eric Yours is my favorite philosophical youtube channel by far. Please keep up the good work and thank you very much in advance

[@ericdodson2644]

stefan klisarov You're welcome. Right now I"m working on one about wisdom and its relation to education. Hopefully it'll be out in a week or so. Anyhow, thanks for taking the time to watch. Eric

[@jokroese]

Brilliant and concise intro. I'll get a copy of The Myth of Sisyphus tomorrow. Thanks for sparking my interest!

[@H.Sokollek]

This was surprisingly good. I'd like to add some things even if it makes your 10 minute rule burst. And maybe its only my view on Camus theory. I like to examine the more practical part of his theory, mainly desperation and the emotion of the absurd. Suffering and escaping your fate by holding up ideas can make you suicidal (in both ways). You doenst merely overcome your condemnation by only enjoying your situation. This only can be the consequent of your revolt. The absurd tells you to get rid of unclear reasons and forces you to live hopelessly because of the narrowed range of judgment it allows you to do without paying attetion to any reason to life. Desperation is the principal way of avoiding suicide. Not only because you pay more attention to the absurd and live more sincerely (thats too vague). Hopelessness forces you to rely your passion on the small amount of things you can feel and assume in the absurd, without looking for overstated ideas. By adjusting your way of sensing you accept fate, restrict your expectation and exhaust your passion. You illuminate things to what they really are (unfamiliar, mute, mindless) and this enables you to revolt by putting the highest amount (quantity) of freedom and passion into your limited situation (limited to the possiblitys of human nature) instead of requiring safety and answers from the world you wont get anyway. Its a limitation which gives you freedom. And in my opinion its a good way to explain happiness and misery in general and can make you believe in Sisyphus' happiness without looking for empirical reasons. Anyway I think in 10 minutes you talked about the most important parts about the absurd. Thanks!

[@ericdodson2644]

Yeah, there's a fair amount of triage that inevitably goes into making a 10 or 12 minute video. I would have liked to talk more about hopelessness and meaninglessness if I'd had more time to work with. It would also have been nice to talk about Camus's treatment of creativity (a pet interest of mine). I would also have liked to draw in more material from Camus's novels. Of course, I could have made a 30-minute video. But then that would have defeated part of my purpose, which was more to provide an accessible inroad into Camus's thought, rather than a comprehensive account of his oeuvre. All in all, I like your ideas about how to produce a more expanded version of this video. Maybe you could make such a video and put it on KZbin (why should I have all the fun?).

[@peckerdecker]

MeisterQualle. So Either a person can CHOOSE to be miserable or choose to deal and accept their current challenge and situation and try and SMILE and be happy?

[@nevanderson1164]

+MeisterQualle Learn about Paragraphs and Spacing becausehugeblocksofuniterruptedtextareabloodypaintoread

[@johnlynch32]

You did a really good job summarizing Camus. Subscribed.

[@zovalentine7305]

Rest in powerful peace 🙏 Albert Camus 7 November 1913 ~ 4 January 1960⚘

[@FalaPedal]

That is really funny for me. I always tell my friends that if I'd go to hell I'd find something good to do there. Actually for me life, anywhere, is what you make of it.

[@dragoste1970]

Thank you Eric!! You did fantastic in explaining Albert Camus and the absurd all in 10min!

[@Joytotheworld9797]

I'm currently reading Sisyphus right now, and with this video... I don't know if I should still continue. Damn. It was all wrapped up nicely. I'm pleased with your video but I'm not pleased with my situation.

[@justamoteofdust]

I feel ya 😬

[@preciousamaechi5887]

I started reading the book too. Honestly it's not so easy to grasp the ideas, but I have an overview of the whole book. His language structure is constructed in such a way that every punctuation makes me get lost in thoughts.

[@MountainMamaSong]

Thank you for making these wonderful videos! I love your channel.

[@acernera]

Thank you Eric - I enjoyed watching these. I particularly thought the Sartre video was great.

[@ericdodson2644]

You're welcome, Anthony. It always makes me happy when people enjoy these videos, and get something out of them. Right now I'm making one on Dostoyevsky. Probably it'll be done in the next few days. Anyhow, thanks again for taking the time to watch, and to comment, too. Eric

[@acernera]

I stumbled on to your faculty profile page and see you list some of my favorites as your favorites! A 10 minute Buddha might be interesting. Have you considered a 10 minute Ernst Becker? I'm rereading "The Denial of Death" for this winter break.

[@ericdodson2644]

Anthony C. Actually, I already have one on the similarities and points of linkage between Buddhism and Existentialism. If you want to see it, you can find it by clicking on my name (above). I also have some others that are more about comedy and/or social commentary. Yeah, Becker might be cool... so many thinkers, so little time... sigh! Anyhow, thanks again for your interest & response. Eric

[@Ewerb7]

Wonderful and lucid explanation of human existence. We must find happiness even in our most fruitless endeavors that encompass the majority of our lives. The Existential Man is a hero because he just doesn't accept the lies that have been handed down from one generation to another since antiquity.

[@WalterLiddy]

I imagine there's more subtlety to his actual arguments than what is presented here. Even so, to rebel against a force that is unaware is utterly pointless. His example of enjoying prison illustrates this. If there's no entity getting satisfaction out of the achievement of your imprisonment, then you aren't frustrating anyone's intent by enjoying it. It's only an act of defiance if there's someone to be annoyed by it.

[@michaelmccenna1378]

I'm so greatful to u for making this video because I had a confusing dream last night and I'm certain I know what it means now.

[@mrunalvora209]

What’s the dream, given that I am 3 years late you probably forgot about it but still...

[@michaelmccenna1378]

@@mrunalvora209 I don't remember the dream right now unfortunately😅

[@mrunalvora209]

@@michaelmccenna1378 completely understand...

[@jzpding]

"All that remains is a fate whose outcome alone is fatal. Outside of that single fatality of death, everything, joy or happiness, is liberty. A world remains of which man is the sole master"

[@shayan9481]

Really enjoyed it, simple choice of words useful for non-natives therefore comprehensive. Good accent and clear enough. Good images.

[@TheProgressiveParent]

Thank you for another great one in your video series I am pleased you channel exists

[@ericdodson2644]

Thanks, ProgressiveParent. Right now I'm writing the script for a video on existentialism and human development, which might interest you (I'm taking a clue from the word "parent" in your handle). Anyhow, have a great day. Eric

[@TheProgressiveParent]

would you like to run the script by me for feedback before you post it ? (I am also /enrichyourlife1 btw)

[@ericdodson2644]

TheProgressiveParent Well, it's still pretty much in its formative stages at this point. But thanks for the offer... maybe when it's a little further along. Eric

[@TheProgressiveParent]

no problemo

[@caramason56]

Life is a mystery 😊. We spend every day analyzing why we are here instead of just living our life .

[@xx5394]

his work and writings have so many layers. im reading a book now filled with some essays of his.. may have to read it again haha

[@johnlocke1113]

Recommend his work for a begginner? A

[@xx5394]

uhh i wouldnt be able to pinpoint... i am reading a collection of essays of his. if you would like i can tell the books name XD

[@mrunalvora209]

@@xx5394 sure please tell me the name of the book

[@preciousamaechi5887]

Perhaps start with his novels. Cause his essay "The myth of Sisyphus" seems a hard read lol

[@jeremysnowdenz]

Excellently done! Really enjoyed your production.

[@alanbunce7448]

Really good 10 min. description, Thanks!

[@LornaTheotokosStLouis]

I just discovered your channel via r/philosophy and am enamored! Thank you!

[@veryfunnyjokeman]

Lorna Theotokos St. Louis *tips*

[@christopherzacharias1244]

so his plan to beat a complete breakdown into existential despair is to have fun. ok Al, i'll try

[@ericdodson2644]

+christopher zacharias Yeah, but remember that the whole experience and meaning of "fun" has changed along the way (see 9:23). It's no longer about distracting ourselves as much as possible from our existential plight, as often happens by way of the mass-media entertainment industry, for example. "Fun" is now about a lucid & defiant appraisal of reality -- something that, yes, may take a bit of "trying."

[@peckerdecker]

Basically camos questions what some people question- and asks: what is life about? What is happiness ?

[@mlke]

Watching this video is one of very few instances I feel lucky with my current state of severe disillusionment and critical mind. Because I fucking loved it. And it probably causes most viewers to squirm, quickly exit, and wish they could go back in time before clicking on it. Although you made it very funny, so I don't know. Anywho, thanks. Everything summarized about Camus made sense to me, except the ending: 9:31 "Sisyphus's happiness is living his weight of days with a full and lucid cognizance of his absurd lot, together with a defiant nonacceptance of it, all of which propels himself forward into become enchanted with his life." I am a Camus newb. But I failed to understand this part. That lucid cognizance will drag you back, not propel you forward. And defiance against absurdity seems to me not a source of motivation to keep living but rather the consequent rationalization to keep living after being somehow propelled forward in the first place. Perhaps Camus was inspired by something to keep living. Perhaps he needed to rationalize continuing life after realizing he couldn't bring himself to commit literal suicide. Thoughts?

[@BusquedaBlues]

The way I tried to understand it is like this. Lucid cognizance of an absurd existence is meant to propel you forward by giving the absurd man the ultimate freedom to create his subjective meaning for his life. You can facilitate and apply the thinking of Camus to that point of becoming the absurd man, but to completely affirm these conditions is to live life enchanted and free by your own desire, which is the metaphysical rebellion and rejection of the absurd. You live life to the bitter end knowing there is no ultimate reward or meaning, none but your own. Really, I think at that point it comes down to this as well: the thinker thinks, the prover proves.

[@MeghanMcDonald]

that's very true @busquedablues. Confronting all of this is a path to ultimate freedom

[@Jamesmax22]

@@BusquedaBlues excellent analysis.

[@oogaboogaa]

@@BusquedaBlues this helped me alot , like just thank you dude,may you achieve whatever you want to do in life :)

[@biggbirdopensesame6762]

There is no justice unless you're Swiss. -Gen Gev

[@bonham80moon78]

Probably the best way to summarize five full pages of notes. You should do one for Rollo May, or at least an intro piece.

[@ericdodson2644]

Thanks for the response. Right now I'm working on one on Martin Buber. But after that, I'll probably do one on Rollo May & existential psychotherapy. P.S. You must be a fan of old-school rock drummers.

[@bonham80moon78]

I made this account many years ago when I thought Bonham and Moon were the best, out of all the years I've had this account, I still think they are.

[@mrshah2043]

There is a ton of shit-posts on youtube. This is the antithesis of a shit post. Amazing video, and great writing!

[@julianm8845]

I recently re-read Camus' The Stranger. I would like to have an opinion on a question that occurred to me after reading. As I know from one of Mr Dodson's videos, a common reproach made towards Nihilism is the fact that it offers no ethical guidance. And in fact, I'm having trouble finding any strong ethical principle in The Stranger. If I understood correctly, Meursault realized at the end of the book that there is value in his life as such and in its uniqueness, rather than in some kind of postmortal redemption. So one could argue that one reason why one shouldn’t shoot an Arab at a beach is because if one is caught and condemned to death, this value would be lost. But obviously, that doesn’t make a lot of sense, since it’s technically possible to murder without getting caught and also because this would award a kind of „moral-compass-function“ to the death sentence („don’t murder or else you’ll die and lose the value of your own life“) and thus validate it, which certainly wasn’t Camus’ intention at all. I guess one could also say that murder is unethical since it robs the victim of whatever would have been left of their life, which - according to Camus - would have been of value in any case. But that seems kind of vague.

[@dbsk06]

The best video on the myth of sysiphus on KZbin

[@SaleemRanaAuthor]

Brilliant exposition. Thank you!

[@oracleofottawa]

How about Kant in ten minutes?

[@nevanderson1164]

+oracleofottawa Maybe just can't

[@azaz2756]

Hegel...

[@djtan3313]

Kant do that... :)

[@MrAh1123581321]

Kant. "These are the rules and there's nothing you can do about it. "

[@demonstructie]

Peter Weasel Zapffe has a great essay on the awareness of the futility of life. Animals don't seem to experience it, presumably because they have lower cognitive ability. Our ability to contemplate the futility of life makes it more difficult to live, but ultimately it's what makes humans human. In The Last Messiah, Zapffe compares this with the irish elk; an animal that had such massive antlers that they impaired it's ability to live. But, the antlers being such a defining feature, without them, it wouldn't be an irish elk. This is the absurd, the very thing that makes us human is what makes it difficult to be a human and by committing suicide - either physical or philosophical, we are removing exactly that what defines us and escape from the human condition.

[@megenberg8]

We have such questions because of our dissatisfaction w/ the sufferings inherent in living. Perfectly normal. Each person must find comfort and solace as life unfolds in time. We have many resources, and most find ways to endure and even thrive. Love, faith, art, work, music, and on and on. Remember though, we are all here but a short time.

[@Jitts.the.caffeinated]

"this party's getting crazy, let's rock" - Dante of Devil May Cry

[@stanleycates1972]

Mr Dodson's presentations are clear and straightforward. I enjoy these much - reading all of the philosophers books would be tedious and because of length confusing. I see these as wonderful Cliff's Notes, something I would like to have on Sam Harris's 2 hour podcasts. So maybe Mr Dodson could create short summaries of some of Sam or Jordan Petersons long long discusions. 10 minutes on our smartest living brainiacs. (and even the passed Christopher Hitchens)

[@tomashertz1155]

Absolutely brilliant... the man and his rationale. How does one find contentment and enjoyment in one's absurd repetitive existence?

[@dredding]

Excellent explanation. Thank you !

[@robertcronin6603]

Great video - excellent images and editing and content 🔥☯️🔥

[@SunnyHomeVideos]

Life is both important and unimportant at the same time

[@darkcnotion]

3:07 ? Science is all about questioning and looking for the correct answer.

[@foggy9407]

Yet

[@reshmant1591]

The Scientist chooses to amaze himself with facts and ejaculates to discoveries. All of it while plainly ignoring to adress the basic question. He seeks to derive a meaning out of the life he is living. The scientist can do all this whilst recognizing the absurdity of all this but so can a bishop.

[@swr3603]

I feel like philosophy often is salty about science not recognizing it enough.

[@Commievn]

Science is the truth, it's the truest logical form, philosophy is fake news. Science builds shits, philosophy destroys shits.

[@myrlewulf6256]

Science doesn't answer life's problems

[@zelleh8847]

"Camoo " ^-^

[@wannaknowmo]

That's the first thing I told myself

[@nikobag]

An honest and beautiful philosophy that offers us pragmatic guidelines on how to respond to the meaningless existance. We live in a meaningless world but I choose to feel good about it because by feeling bad or committing suicide I would add to the meaninglessness and misery. I rebel against it. The way you feel is your own choice. Have a nice day. Cheers!

[@thomaspersing4653]

Spot on, most of it. One needs to be strong enough to make one's life valuable.

[@magnusskulason2323]

To You Tube staff. I am sorry to read thar you find my ''sharing'' to much recently. I do this seldom, but both as I found this excellent presentation of the genial Camus - and so inspiring and relevant for those addressed folks - as well as I thought it plausible to recommend - and make my friends quite aware of You Tube's good work on all the diversified and wide-spread topics. All kind of cultural stuff in digestible doses. But happy Christmas and the new year anyway. - Sincerely, M.Sk.

[@gustavalexandersson7876]

Hey man, great channel

[@foremount]

Isn't subscribing to Camus' philosophy of enjoying the absurdity subjugating to the very philosophical suicide he criticize?

[@ericdodson2644]

foremount Hmm.... probably there's a way in which that's true. But then again, that's a motif that runs through a fair fraction of existential thinking. The point of it is not to ascribe to this thinker or that, but to use their ideas as an occasion to find our own distinct ways in life. So too, I suspect, with Sisyphus's happiness. But, hey, that's just my interpretation... and the point is to find your own -- which may or may not overlap with mine... Thanks for the cool question! Eric

[@anDReaS-yp5gw]

+foremount and +Eric Dodson Very interesting question! The way I understand this question is: Trying to make sense of a world that doesn't really make sense is human nature, since that is how our consciousness were built from scratch since we were babies. That is how we learned to survive; by distuingishing patterns in an everchanging world. Realizing from time to time that our conceptual understanding of life is a model inside our own heads, forces our imagination to touch upon "the absurd" or non-sensical reality of life. But having built from scratch a consciousness which can only perceive things that DO make sense (in that of itself, perceiving IS making order out of chaos), we can never come to understand or experience the world as it is (absurd) - but we can acknowledge that fact. So yes, enjoying the absurdity is subjugating, BUT what you are subjugating to enjoy, can never really be the ultimate absurd reality, since this is impossible to make sense of. So you are subjugating to enjoy an idea, which is only an imitation of the true absurdity - thus comitting philosophical suicide. In this way of thinking, we cannot escape comitting philosophical suicide, we do it with every word, every thought - I think this is what Camus was rebelling against! Which brings his philosophy very near to the Daoist or buddhist idea of enlightenment, which cannot be percieved but only experienced - "The Tao that can be expressed is not the eternal Tao" Let me know what you think of my reasoning please! I very much enjoyed the video and +foremount your excellent question to put the video into perspective

[@themandalorian7352]

Who told you to subscribe to his philosophy? That's probably what he hates the most.

[@peterpehlivan157]

No, it doesn't. Enjoying the absurd has nothing to do with commiting philosophical suicide. It has to do with the subjective response to the difficult situation and the proper acceptance of its reality. Camus proposes a different way of looking at the problem, one which I personally see as preferable.

[@danrenwick1828]

Philosophical suicide is a form of denial. Camus’ Absurd Man simply accepts the truth of life. Once you’ve accepted the truth of the absurdity and arbitrariness of life, you have various options. You can despair. For example, if an innocent man is imprisoned, he can let the unfairness and the punishment break him. Or he can rebel against the unfairness, remain defiant and not let society’s verdict on him define him. For Camus, it’s important to be brave and defiant in the face of this sort of absurd and arbitrary misfortune, rather than let yourself be broken. Related to this, like Sisyphus, a person can rebel against their lot by beginning to love it; finding and savouring the beauty in life that they ignore most of the time. Of course, rebelling can also mean trying to escape the prison, or trying to change your lot in life. Living in denial will make you weaker and more brittle in the face of misfortune. If you accept that life is often arbitrary and unfair, but love it anyway, you’ll be more ready to face whatever absurdity and unfairness that life throws at you.

[@natokafa5238]

I wish i had one of those existential crises myself. Sounds so cool

[@SupreetSharma]

Thanks for making this. Saw more interesting content on your channel. Subscribed.

[@danielmurillo9579]

Here, take my subscription. You made me understand some points (that had never been clear) of the ideal attitude towards to absurd. I'm not sure if Wittgenstein will agree with this, but this a great example of philosophy as therapy.

[@alexobed4252]

E.D.! Chris from the Psych told me to go on youtube and google you. Awesome stuff, my friend!!!! ~Alex

[@ericdodson2644]

Thanks, Alex. Good to "hear" from you. I hope you're well and flourishing... Eric D.

[@peternader603]

Great work Eric !! keep doing them (Y)

[@blabible]

thank you for this wonderful video!!

[@Koenshakuable]

i hope i'm not the only one laughing like crazy... this ish is awesome!

[@ericdodson2644]

+Koenshakuable Well, laughter is a perfectly valid response to the absurd, at least in my view. Sometimes it's even the best response.

[@Koenshakuable]

more true than i can either fathom or dare to realize...

[@allend433]

You did a good job on the video

[@zovalentine7305]

Read The Stranger snd The Rebel in high school. Fascinating ❗

[@kyussbrooker1774]

I wonder what people think about page 52 and more so 53,, of the myth of Sisyphus.. I think those two are the most important pages.. "The contrary of suicide, in fact, Is the man condemned to death. That revolt gives life it's value."

[@tomspaghetti]

This was really helpful, thankyou!

[@JH-ct9fj]

Marvelous! Many...many thanks!

[@TheCheakah]

Very nice summary!

[@felipesantos2]

Sir, thank you very much for your brief but detailed explanation!

[@wittking1999]

this has been my life for, well, 16 years now. I learned about Camus in college as a philosophy major and it just reinforced what I was already feeling. I wish the end of this philosophy and realization of reality was happiness, but it's not. it's defiance, and little hope for meaning pieced together from other existentialists. Exist because there's no reason you should, that only carries so long. if you can, for your whole natural life... then you're stronger than steel and can do anything.

[@Coocoocachoo809]

Nice work!!!

[@erodgenator]

Hey hope you don't mind but if I use some still shots for educational memes about Camus. Love the guy and like you for presenting him in such an understandable format. You existentially rock bro!

[@ericdodson2644]

+erodgenator I don't mind... what I care about is sharing the lines of inquiry and insight with whoever is interested. Cheers! Eric D.

[@erodgenator]

:D Thanks

[@bnkundwa]

I appreciate the contribution of Albert Camus.

[@daveziringer9960]

Thanks! I think it was perfect my IB students reading the Plague!

[@bobsyeruncle4841]

nice work

[@rockplay100]

I think that there can be a line drawn between Camus and Taoism, if someone is willing to debate on the subject I'd be happy to do so.

[@natokafa5238]

Much obliged

[@scientifico]

My new years eve resolution: build your walls, sacrifice something you love. learn as much as you can about the truth of the world. This is much better.

[@Kiezkollege]

Very well done. Thank you for that!

[@ericdodson2644]

Kiezkollege You're welcome. And thanks for taking the time to watch. Eric

[@janicemurphy7878]

I once had a professor that said your ace in the hole is suicide and then at another point he said during his speech is that no one has the right to commit suicide because that is not given to you the right to life is given by God I reminded him of what he said about the ace in the hole and I said Sir you can't have it both ways and reframed what he said and he said I didn't know you were paying attention got a very good grade for the course

[@nevanderson1164]

+Janice Murphy "the right to life is given by God" how can a gift come from an imaginary being? That is what I would have been asking.

[@SpeakLikeAColombian]

Good work! Thanks!

[@veikkotarvainen4927]

Brilliant pictures support the brilliant text. If it would be possible to have more often pictures wit lectures it would be nice but I suppose it would take too much time from you. Fine that you make fine youtubelectures.

[@tanniesj3673]

If you search on google for Rebel Philosopher first thing that pops up is Camus's bio

[@abooswalehmosafeer173]

whilst all those philosophers deeply and profoundly dig and dig on intellectual and emotional fields sweating and sighing I guiltily but not without thrill and enjoyment a sugared and milky steaming cup of tea with a moist luscious piece of carrot cake,almost the reason why I finally got out of bed in the early afternoon.Absurd and dreadful but there is Hope.

[@dorrasalah266]

Albert Camus is not an existentialist. He created his own philosophy and thoughts. He may be inspired from the existentialists but he's not one of them. In fact, he had a very famous fight with Jean Paul Sartre who's existentialist.

[@MyWitsEnd.]

Stumbled upon this guy through a random KZbin recommendation a couple months ago. Read is book the myth of Sisyphus and he has put my thoughts into words. He has identified my thoughts for me. Shocking his work isn’t more popular but also understandable as people don’t want to be aware of the absurdity to life. And once known, there is no going back.

[@youtubecommentsection8314]

His essays made me so happy 😊 I have no idea what it means that he has such a strong theme of suicide. As I listen, he's talking about release. There is no justice ... you just have to fringe on absurdity. Religion is important. I need to join a book club on this.

[@MeghanMcDonald]

great job with this!

[@patrickvanmeter2922]

The simple fact that most of us don't destroy ourselves indicates to me, we're still looking for a reason that our lives aren't absurd. I'm 80 and still looking. How fucking absurd is that.

[@rgaleny]

Stoicism is a cultural system that addresses this frm Alexander to Constantine. see Zeno, Epicurus, Seneca and Markus Aurelius.

[@veikkotarvainen4927]

Very good introduction. Thank You. Could You make a video about Amor Fati of Marcus Aurelius and Nietsche and others. I find the idea very good but hard in my personal life. Similarities with buddhism, mindfulness and modern gognitive therapies. Ancient is allways actual. Veikko Tarvainen from Finland

[@michaelb177]

Loved it! Camus is one of my most favorite along with Schopenhauer. When will you do one on Schopenhauer?

[@ericdodson2644]

Michael Berkeley Yeah, I like Camus a lot, too. I was thinking of doing a video on comparing & contrasting The Stranger and The Fall soon... but I somehow got swept into doing one on nihilism instead. So it goes. Yeah, Schopenhauer would be a cool idea... maybe at some point in the future. But I have a batch of ideas to get to before then. Anyhow, thanks for the suggestion, and for watching, too. Eric

[@bombeu]

nice vid man! ... somehow for most of us (that end up watching this kind of stuff) the link between "the myth of Sisyphus" and our day to day life/job/home stuff cycle is the most obvious to assume ... But even those that end up enjoying their life/job and the overall repetitive cycle are still, in a camusian way committing at least the "philosophical suicide" part by stopping to address this problem to them self. U can basically apply this even to people that create for a living like artists and so on, because as the object of creation can be different every time, the process of Creating stuff is always the same (to some extent) Question - what can we do in a life time that does not raise this question of repetitive lifestyle ? Even flying to the Moon once to many times is a repetition that ultimately will get One in the same philosophical problem ... if u give it enough time. Existentialists, in my opinion, asked the right questions in an age of wrong perceptions ... The feeling of Belief in a God can only arise from the utter sense of inutility that we have about existence. Something like - This can`t BE IT ? Can IT? Maby it`s time that people should also take in consideration that we might just be a spec of molecules in an incomprehensive universe with no metaphysical origins and no underline direction ... But then again how did we end up even discussing this matter ?

[@ericdodson2644]

Maybe the trick is just to stop worrying about it -- stop worrying about whether there's a God or not, stop worrying about whether there's any point to existence or not, stop worrying about life's inevitable cyclicities, etc. It's the sense of worrying, anxiety, insecurity, etc. that keep us from simply recognizing reality in the first place, isn't it? So, if we're actually more free along the emotional dimension than we'd typically like to admit, then perhaps we're free enough to drop most of that worrying posture, and simply live toward what's real, moment by moment. After all, who says that we HAVE to worry about God, the meaning of life, etc?

[@bombeu]

Fair enough ... but then we get to the "other" problem : is this the way to better our self? Is this the "role" we should play once cast into existence? Man, the problem that Camus and others raise is just a peep through the "rabbit hole" ... and as u start making equieries u first of all notice the Bigger Missing Picture then the small crack of explanations. By all means, some Buddhist factions do Exactly what u proposed for milenas - so why still so few around?

[@ericdodson2644]

The Machine Hmm... you're asking several questions. About bettering our selves... well, that can easily become the next thing to worry about (much like God, death, meaning, etc.). Moreover, it's not clear that life is actually asking us to better our selves... or even what the "self" actually is in the first place, for that matter. What does seem more-or-less clear is that life is asking us to experience a human lifetime of indeterminate duration & significance, irrespective of whether that maps onto bettering the self or not. Maybe the goal is simply to allow ourselves to be what we are, regardless of any form of betterment. Okay, about the role we're here to play.... From what I can tell, there is no concrete role preordained for us. The question is more like: What role do you want to play? About Buddhism... Yeah, the Buddhists have been inviting humanity to look at the bigger picture for around 2600 years now. But of course, from Buddhism's perspective, everything is ultimately impermanent anyhow -- including Buddhism itself. Perhaps there are so few around because, like everything else in the universe, Buddhism ebbs and flows with time. P.S. I don't know what "equieries" are, so I can't really respond to that part of what you're saying.

[@bombeu]

enquiry - sorry for the misstype. Yeah, we could make this talk much longer :)

[@00212]

would you please consider making a video about Arthur Schopenhauer? I really wonder how you would construe his ideas because I personally think he beautifully explains the futility of existence.

[@bluegorilla1014]

Very informative and easy to understand video!

[@wbell539]

I feel a lot better now.