ALBERT CAMUS: THE NATURE OF POLITICAL REBELLION

In: The Western political quarterly: official journal of Western Political Science Association, Band 13, Heft 3, S. 573-580

Abstract

A basic problem of modern man is whether or not it is possible to give rational meaning & value to his existence in an age where there is no longer confidence that reason can establish objective truths. This problem takes on special signif where it is concerned with defining the nature of pol'al revolt. That is, if man, alone, is the sole creator of his values, does this imply the nihilist logic of violence & terrorism? This problem has been given signif expression in the writings of A. Camus, who starts from the human condition as an encounter with `absurdity', to characterize pol'al nihilism as a perverted deduction from the awareness of the absurd, & attempts finally to reconcile absurdist reasoning with the principle of human dignity &limited freedom. For Camus, rebellion as a demand for freedom against tyranny is a negation, but also an affirmation of the worth of the individual person, & therefore incompatible with nihilist ideology & revolutionary action. TPCA.