ALBERT CAMUSIn the essays he presented us with dualisms; happiness and sadness,dark and light, life and death, etc. He wanted us to face up to thefact that happiness is fleeting and that we will die. Not to bemorbid but so we can love life and enjoy our happiness when itoccurs. In The Myth, this dualism became a paradox; we value ourlives and existence so greatly, but at the same time we know we willeventually die, and ultimately our endeavours are meaningless. Whilstwe can live with a dualism (I can accept periods of unhappiness,because I know I will also experience happiness to come) we cannotlive with the paradox (I think my life is of great importance but Ialso think it is meaningless). In the Myth, Camus was interested inhow we experience the Absurd and how we live with it. Our life musthave meaning for us to value it. If we accept that life has nomeaning and therefore no value, should we kill ourselves? Camus saysno but then provides an unsatisfactory answer as to why we shouldn't.Meursault, the Absurd hero of the L'Étranger, is a murderer who isexecuted for his crimes. Caligula ends up admitting his Absurd logicwas wrong and is killed by an assassination he has deliberatelybrought about. However, Camus, while obviously suggesting thatCaligula's Absurd reasoning is wrong, exalts Meursault as the onlyMessiah we deserve. Le Mythe de Sisyphe raises questions it cannotsatisfactorily answer. What was Camus doing?Camus' work on the Absurd was intended to promote a public debate.His various offerings enticed us to think about the Absurd and offerour own contribution. Concepts such as cooperation, joint effort, andsolidarity are of key importance to Camus. In the essay Enigma, Camusexpressed his frustration at being labeled a philosopher of theabsurd. None of his previous work was intended to be a definitiveaccount of his thoughts on the Absurd, although the Le Mythe deSisyphe is often mistaken as such.Camus made a…