Camus

Summary

Dominique Pagani mentions Albert Camus only occasionally and does not give a sustained reading of any of his works. He mainly links him to the fashion for the absurd, which amounts to holding that history has no meaning1. In a session on Kafka, he cites Camus's reflection on suicide among the expressions of modern anxiety2. He also takes up the idea that misnaming things adds to the misfortune of the world3. Camus also comes up in debates about his public image. He notes that Onfray presents him as a Resistance figure, set against the communists4. In a session on Clouscard, a participant argues against Onfray that Camus was never either libertarian or socialist5. Finally, he places him in relation to Merleau-Ponty, calling Camus a contemporary with a larger media presence6. Camus therefore serves mainly as a point of reference: for the absurd, for a media-facing type of intellectual and for the political uses made of him.

1. 1In conversation with Bernard Friot (1 June 2018)12 Jun 2018 · 1:58:51
2. 2#5.9 Kafka, “An Imperial Message”29 Jul 2019 · 7:39
3. 3#7 Answers to questions (continued)3 Dec 2020 · 1:16:34
4. 4With Clouscard2 Aug 2016 · 1:03:09
5. 5Everything is allowed but nothing is possible: Michel Clouscard (2)29 Jan 2012 · 3:46
6. 6From Plato to world revolution14 Jul 2022 · 9:38

Summary produced automatically from 6 of the passages below, to be reviewed; the numbers link to the moment in the session.