CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF PHILOLOGICAL SCIENCES (ISSN: 2767-3758)
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VOLUME:
Vol.06 Issue01 2025
10.37547/philological-crjps-06-01-09
Page: - 43-46
RESEARCH ARTICLE
A Comparative Analysis of The Ideas on The Human
Problem in The Existentialism of Jean-Paul Sartre And Albert
Camus
Djurayev G'olib Abdurasulovich
Teacher of “ALFRAGANUS UNIVERSITY”, Independent researcher of Tashkent State University of Oriental, Uzbekistan
Received:
22 November 2024
Accepted:
24 December 2024
Published:
30 January 2025
INTRODUCTION
The intellectual atmosphere in the years following the
world wars, along with concepts of the absurdity of human
existence, alienation, despair, and pessimism, highlighted
the necessity of restoring faith in human dignity and
brotherhood. The struggle for ideologies and ideas in the
realm of political movements left individuals attempting to
preserve their own existence, seeking the essence of human
existence, and re-examining the paradigms that society had
formed over long historical periods. The skepticism
towards social norms, morality, and religion concerning
the essence of human existence, as well as the sense of
alienation from them, laid the foundation for a new form of
philosophical thought.
Although existentialism and absurdism trace their roots
back to the ideas of ancient philosophers, their fundamental
principles were fully shaped in the philosophical
perspectives of Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus. These
ideas have since evolved into a philosophy of self-care,
enabling modern individuals to defend their dignity,
freedom, and human subjectivity.
Literature Review
For the comparative analysis of the views of the French
existentialists Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus on the
issue of the human problem, their primary works can be
directly utilized. The primary sources of this study include
Jean-Paul Sartre’s "Existentialism is a Humanism", "Being
and Nothingness", and "Nausea", as well as Albert Camus’
"The Stranger", "The Myth of Sisyphus", "The Plague",
and "Caligula".
METHODOLOGY
The methodological foundations of the research are based
on objectivity, impartiality, systematicity, theoretical-
deductive reasoning, analysis and synthesis, historicity and
logical
consistency,
hermeneutic
analysis,
and
comparative analysis. The theoretical significance of the
study lies in its potential use for expanding socio-
philosophical thought, fostering independent thinking, and
promoting a positive attitude towards the history of
philosophy and French existentialism.
ABSTRACT
Existentialism is one of the most significant movements in 20th-century philosophy, focusing on the place of the individual in
life, their freedom, and moral choices. Prominent representatives of this philosophical trend, Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus,
paid special attention to the problems of human existence, examining them from different perspectives in their works. This ar ticle
provides a comparative analysis of Sartre's and Camus's philosophical views on humanity. The aim of the study was to identify
the similarities and differences in the ideas of these two authors to shed light on the complex issues .
Keywords:
Existentialism, Jean Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, absurd, rebellion, freedom, French existentialism.
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RESULTS
Existentialism, as a philosophical movement that emerged
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, focuses on the
individual's experience of existence and the search for
meaning in a seemingly indifferent world. Rooted in the
works of thinkers such as Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich
Nietzsche, and Jean-Paul Sartre, existentialism emphasizes
subjective experience, freedom of will, and personal
responsibility in shaping one's existence.
Absurdism, a philosophical concept popularized by Albert
Camus, offers a distinct perspective on the human
condition. It asserts that the search for intrinsic meaning in
life is futile, as the universe is inherently irrational and
indifferent to human concerns. Absurdism suggests
accepting the meaninglessness of existence while
simultaneously rebelling against the absurdity of the
universe. Although Camus never explicitly identified
himself with existentialism, it can be argued that absurdism
falls within the broader influence of existentialist thought.
In this sense, existential absurdism is a philosophical
concept that highlights the meaninglessness of human
existence. While both existential absurdism and nihilism
acknowledge the absence of inherent meaning in life, they
differ in their attitudes and approaches toward this
realization.
It is possible to observe how existentialism and absurdism
converge around one of the most fundamental
philosophical questions: "What is the essence of human
existence?" However, Camus denies that there is an answer
to this question, rejecting any scientific, teleological,
metaphysical, or human-constructed conclusion that
claims to provide a definitive response. While
acknowledging humanity's inherent drive to seek meaning
in life, Camus adopts a skeptical position, arguing that
nature, the universe, and human actions remain silent
regarding any ultimate purpose. Because existence itself
lacks intrinsic meaning, we must learn to endure the
unresolvable void. Thus, the paradox between our impulse
to seek ultimate answers and the impossibility of obtaining
any adequate response is what Camus defines as the
absurd. His philosophy of the absurd explores the
consequences arising from this fundamental paradox.
Sartre, in his existential philosophy, acknowledges the
meaningless and absurd existence that Camus describes
but approaches it differently by asserting that existence
precedes essence. This principle serves as the foundation
of his teachings. He argues that individuals are absolutely
free and responsible for giving meaning to their existence.
In this sense, Sartre's position may appear close to nihilism,
but it differs in a crucial way: nihilism tends to absolutize
human freedom while discarding responsibility, whereas
existentialism upholds both.
Existentialism and absurdism both begin by rejecting all
pre-established meanings, stepping into what can be
described as a "philosophical desert." This desert
represents the common ground where both philosophies
meet. However, their paths diverge in the steps that follow.
Existentialism revolves around several core principles, the
most significant being a belief in personal freedom and
responsibility. Sartre famously stated that humans are
condemned to be free, meaning that in a world devoid of
inherent purpose, individuals must create their own
meaning
and
values.
Authenticity
and
personal
responsibility hold a central place in existentialist thought,
emphasizing the importance of living in accordance with
one’s values and beliefs.
In contrast, absurdism rejects the pursuit of personal
meaning in an irrational universe. Instead of falling into
despair, it promotes the acceptance of life's absurdity.
According to absurdist philosophy, recognizing the
fundamental absurdity of existence should lead individuals
to rebel against meaninglessness and find purpose in the
mere act of living. Absurdism suggests that individuals can
justify their existence and achieve a sense of purpose
through acts of defiance and engagement in an indifferent
universe.
Existentialism advances the idea that existence precedes
essence, meaning that human beings are born into the
world as individuals without any preordained meaning or
purpose. As a result, they are tasked with creating their
own essence through their choices and actions.
Existentialists emphasize the importance of subjective
experience and personal authenticity in the search for
meaning. By embracing their freedom and living
authentically, individuals can fill their lives with purpose
and significance.
In his work "Cahiers pour une morale" ("Notebooks for an
Ethics"), Sartre characterizes violence as an act of bad
faith, particularly when a violent person justifies their
actions by claiming they are merely using force rather than
engaging in violence. However, at a certain point, Sartre
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paradoxically justifies violence and bad faith. In his 1946
essay "Materialism and Revolution", he defends
revolutionary violence as a necessary means to overthrow
an oppressive regime, arguing that such violence is
essential for securing human freedom and replacing a
dehumanizing system with a new, unified one.
This belief in revolutionary struggle led Sartre toward
communism, where he saw the working class as the force
capable of dismantling oppressive societies. Marxist
philosophy views violence as an inevitable tool in the fight
against tyranny, considering revolt against oppression a
necessary means to achieve political goals. Thus, Sartre
appears to justify violence as a means to an end, aligning
with the idea that bad faith can be necessary for greater
revolutionary objectives.
However, at that time, Stalin was in power, and reports of
Soviet totalitarian crimes were becoming increasingly
widespread. Despite this, Sartre never openly addressed or
criticized these atrocities.
For Camus, rebellion as a means to achieve a goal is only
justified if it serves an absolute purpose—meaning that it
ensures the problem will never be repeated. However, for
Sartre, a rebellion carried out by the Communist Party does
not guarantee such an absolute goal [3;56]. Camus refused
to justify this type of rebellion because, in his philosophy,
rebellion is fundamentally a protest against murder
[4;116].
Camus believed that rebellion against injustice must
acknowledge the existence of a limit that should be
respected—the value of human life. If a rebel disregards
this limit and resorts to murder in order to achieve their
goal, they become a hypocrite. Indeed, violence as a means
to an end can be used to justify numerous horrific crimes.
History provides evidence of this, as the Nazis exploited
this logic, using the pretext of protecting Europe from the
so-called "evil of Judaism" to justify the Holocaust during
World War II.
Camus accused Sartre of losing his authenticity by aligning
himself with the Communist Party, seeing it as a betrayal
of existential integrity.
Camus' play "Caligula" (based on the historical Roman
emperor of the same name) portrays a man confronted with
the inevitability of death. In response, he unleashes random
violence against the patricians of the empire, as he sees no
meaning in life. As a powerful man, he believes he can do
whatever he pleases without concern for the consequences.
However, not all people can act according to their own
desires, as demonstrated in a conversation between Scipio
and Caligula:
CALIGULA: ...Otherwise, they would bring divine
tragedies upon every person and realize that it is fitting for
a man to become a god. You just need to harden your heart.
SCIPIO: Perhaps you are right, Gaius. But if that is true, I
believe you have done what was necessary so that one day,
the legions of human gods around you, in turn, will become
ruthless and drown your fleeting divinity in blood. [5;59]
Indeed, this idea of "human gods" had already been
mentioned a year earlier in Sartre's Being and Nothingness,
published in 1943, while Camus' play was published in
1944. Sartre famously wrote: "To be human is to strive to
be God."
This suggests that Caligula aligns with Sartre's
perspective—the play may, in fact, be Camus' response to
Sartre's ideas. Presenting this concept through the words of
a bloodthirsty dictator highlights the profound issue shared
by both Camus and Sartre: they both explore the human
condition through the lens of the aspiration to become
divine.
In the play, Caligula declares:
"This world is meaningless, and whoever realizes this
attains freedom. You are not free, and that is why I despise
you. In the entire Roman Empire, only I am free. Rejoice,
for at last, an emperor has come to teach you freedom. Go,
Cherea. And you too, Scipio, for friendship is ridiculous to
me."
This statement reflects Sartre’s ideas, emphasizing the
notion that recognizing the meaninglessness of existence
leads to absolute freedom. However, Scipio represents the
voice of reason in the play and, in a sense, serves as Camus’
own voice.
Caligula rejects rationality and attempts to transform
himself into a god-like figure—a form of philosophical
suicide, as described by Camus in The Myth of Sisyphus.
For Camus, suicide is the only true philosophical problem,
as it represents a rejection of the absurd and an
unwillingness to confront life's inherent meaninglessness.
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Instead, he argues for rebellion against absurdity by
choosing to live as long as possible, despite the lack of
meaning.
Camus defines philosophical suicide as a denial of the
absurd, which in Kierkegaard’s case leads to ignoring the
absurd that has illuminated existence thus far and instead
deifying irrationality as the only remaining belief. Caligula
does not physically kill himself, but his attempt to become
a god-man and his refusal to rebel alongside his peers
signify his rejection of the absurdity of existence.
CONCLUSION
Camus and Sartre faced a fundamental disagreement
regarding the necessity of violence and the role of human
beings in an absurd world. For Camus, violence should
never be justified as a state-enforced measure or as a tool
serving the interests of a totalitarian regime. After
witnessing the horrors of Nazism, Camus recognized that
any justification for violence must be met with immediate
and unequivocal opposition.
Sartre, on the other hand, believed that violence was a
necessary response to other acts of violence—that fire must
be fought with fire. This ideological divide ultimately
ended their friendship, confirming Camus’ concerns about
Sartre’s alignment with the Communist Party during
Stalin’s rule.
Their differing views on existence in an absurd reality also
reflected their stances on violence. Sartre argued that mere
existence is not enough—one must actively create meaning
and purpose. However, Sartre’s philosophy contained
contradictions and potentially dangerous principles, which
Camus had foreseen and criticized.
For Camus, a person living in an absurd world must
acknowledge its limits and contradictions in order to find
happiness and appreciate life. In his own words, “We must
imagine Sisyphus happy.”
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