The Myth of Sisyphus — Albert Camus

This month we will be reading:
The Myth of Sisyphus — Albert Camus

- “The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart.”

About
In The Myth of Sisyphus, Camus confronts the absurd head on: the clash between our hunger for meaning and an indifferent universe. Instead of despair, he proposes lucid acceptance — living fully without illusion, hope, or metaphysical escape.

We will focus on:

• The absurd: what it is, and what it demands of us
• Camus’ rejection of religion, transcendence, and “false hope”
• Why Camus calls suicide a philosophical mistake
• What it means to “imagine Sisyphus happy” — and whether that’s convincing

Connections to previously read books

• The Stranger

In December we read The Stranger — a novel of emotional clarity, detachment, and acceptance without appeal. This time, we go beneath the surface and read the philosophical foundation behind it:
Meursault lives the absurd instinctively.
Sisyphus explains it consciously.

• Determined

Sapolsky dissolves free will through biology and causation.
Camus dissolves meaning through the absurd.

• “Why Buddhism Is True”

Buddhism diagnoses craving and illusion as the source of suffering.
Camus rejects illusion — but refuses transcendence.

• The Schopenhauer Cure

Schopenhauer says suffering is structural, not accidental.
Camus agrees — but refuses resignation.

This book will also serve as the philosophical foundation for our upcoming readings of The Plague and The Fall, where we will explore what happens after absurd clarity