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Introduction
Meeting Absurdity
Albert Camus and the
Communication Ethics of the Everyday
Of the few scholars still interested in Camus, most esteem his
literary genius but denigrate his importance as a philosopher.
literary genius but denigrate his importance as a philosopher.
—Golomb 268
If one could say just once: ‘This is clear,’ all would be saved.
—Camus, “The Myth of Sisyphus” 27
The current age is an age of absurdity. In the dictionary, absurd is defined as “utterly or obviously senseless, illogical, or untrue; contrary to all reason or common sense; laughably foolish or false” (“absurd”). Unfortunately, one need not rely on a dictionary to point out the tension between the way one desires the world to appear and the harsh truth of human existence. Every day one is confronted with reminders that life is full of contradictions and uncertainty; often the approaches to life that made sense even a few years ago no longer create the same opportunities