logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2025
47m 11s

Albert Camus: The Absurdity Of It All

Al Jazeera
About this episode

Albert Camus was a literary giant of the 20th century, known for his philosophy of absurdity in the human quest for the meaning of life.  His personal life and North African roots helped shape his writing. 

In philosophy circles, many called him a prominent voice of existentialism, but Camus distanced himself from the movement. In hindsight, was he a brave man of unwavering principle or a man whose principles lacked adequate bravery.

Support the show: https://www.aljazeera.com/podcasts/hindsight/

Up next
Jul 2025
Asmahan: The Druze Diva
Asmahan was a rebel in a world of expectations. From a Druze Princess to exalted singer in 1930s and 40s Egypt – she lived in extremes and did exactly what she wanted. Asmahan also moonlighted as a messenger during the Second World War and when she was killed under mysterious cir ... Show More
43m 28s
Jun 2025
Faisal I of Iraq: The Making of a King
King Faisal I of Iraq was born in the age of the Ottoman Empire. A key figure in the Arab revolt, his patience, curiosity and diplomacy endeared him to many, including the man who would come to be known as Lawrence of Arabia. But in hindsight, did Faisal drive Arab nationalism or ... Show More
36m 32s
Jun 2025
Shajarat al Durr: From Slave to Sultana of Egypt
Shajarat al Durr was born in the golden age of Islam. Despite her beginnings as a child slave, she went on to become the first woman to sit on the throne of Egypt since Cleopatra nearly 13-hundred years before. But in hindsight, Shajarat al Durr’s life is a Cinderella story witho ... Show More
44m 34s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2020
Greatest Philosophers In History | Albert Camus
Albert Camus was a prolific French-Algerian philosopher and author who contributed to the rise of the philosophy known as Absurdism. He is also considered to be an existentialist.This video explores his main ideas: The Absurd, Revolt and Rebellion, as well as his most notable wor ... Show More
23m 22s
Sep 2019
Albert Camus: Embracing life’s absurdity
‘There is no sun without shadows, and it is essential to know the night,’ the words of Albert Camus, a writer whose exploration of the absurd nature of the human condition made him a literary and intellectual icon. Camus was born in Algeria but is celebrated in France as one of i ... Show More
39m 40s
Dec 2020
The Myth of Sisyphus | Albert Camus
<p>The Myth of Sisyphus is a philosophical essay by Albert Camus and is considered as one of the most popular existentialist works of the 20th century. It gave rise to the philosophy of Absurdism, sharing some concepts with Existentialism and Nihilism.  </p> <p>The fundamental co ... Show More
10 m
Jan 2014
Albert Camus
One of France's most celebrated writers was killed in a car crash on 4 January 1960. Author of The Outsider and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Albert Camus was famous for his exploration of the alienation and absurdity of human existence. Lucy Burns presents archive me ... Show More
8m 55s
Jan 2008
Camus
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Algerian-French writer and Existentialist philosopher Albert Camus. Shortly after the new year of 1960, a powerful sports car crashed in the French town of Villeblevin in Burgundy, killing two of its occupants. One was the publisher Michel Gall ... Show More
42m 6s
Apr 2020
Albert Camus
Albert Camus (1913-1960) was born in Algeria to French parents. After his father died in World War I, when Albert was still an infant, the family was reduced to impoverished circumstances, forced to move in with relatives in an apartment without electricity or running water. From ... Show More
51m 22s
Dec 2023
Camus in the Americas
Feverish, homesick, bored, awed and on rollerskates: Albert Camus’s travel diaries are a fascinating window into an easily mythologised life. Camus visited the New World twice, and a new translation of his journals reveals his struggle to make sense of his experiences. Adam Shatz ... Show More
45m 36s
Mar 2021
The Stranger | Albert Camus
<p>The Stranger or The Outsider is a 1942 novel by French author Albert Camus. Though it is a work of fiction, it is often cited as an example of Camus’ philosophy of Absurdism.  </p> <p>The Stranger has had a profound impact on millions of readers. Through the story of an ordina ... Show More
10 m
Nov 2020
The Absurd – Camus, Kierkegaard & Dostoevsky | Existentialism
This episode explores the concept of The Absurd of Camus, Kierkegaard, and Dostoevsky as well as the differences between these three existentialists. Camus defined the Absurd as: "The conflict between the human tendency to seek inherent value and meaning in life, and the human in ... Show More
12 m
Jun 2024
Gaza, Camus, and the logic of violence
Albert Camus was a Nobel-winning French writer and public intellectual. During Algeria’s bloody war for independence in the 1950s, Camus took a measured stance, calling for an end to the atrocities on each side. He was criticized widely for his so-called “moderation.” Philosophy ... Show More
54m 56s