Philosophy

kairos12

(13,298 posts) Fri Nov 20, 2020, 12:08 PM Nov 2020

Many years ago I became a fan of Camus'

"The Plague." I think I will have to go back read it again. What I don't recall is the government actively trying to stop Dr. Fauci, I mean Dr. Rieux, from doing his job.

No, that would be absurd.

4 replies

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Many years ago I became a fan of Camus' (Original Post) kairos12 Nov 2020 OP

Thanks for the recommendation! cilla4progress Nov 2020 #1

How could he know back then? Biophilic Nov 2020 #2

My understanding is that Camus wrote this while living in occupied France, thucythucy Nov 2020 #3

My English professor had us read 'The Stranger' angstlessk Nov 2020 #4

cilla4progress

(25,970 posts)

1. Thanks for the recommendation!

Reply to kairos12 (Original post)

Fri Nov 20, 2020, 12:13 PM

Nov 2020

Camus, Kafka - so many philosophers, so little TIME!!

Biophilic

(4,937 posts)

2. How could he know back then?

Reply to kairos12 (Original post)

Fri Nov 20, 2020, 12:25 PM

Nov 2020

Absurd, yes, definitely absurd. How could he have known? How else does one deal with absurdity?

thucythucy

(8,747 posts)

3. My understanding is that Camus wrote this while living in occupied France,

Reply to kairos12 (Original post)

Fri Nov 20, 2020, 12:49 PM

Nov 2020

in a village that was a center of Resistance activity. At the time he was also writing for Combat! which was an underground newspaper. Obviously he used a pseudonym, and it wasn't until the end of the war that readers learned the author of this popular column was also the famous novelist.

Among these columns was "Letter to a German Friend" in which Camus coined the phrase, "the cult of efficiency."

I've also heard that "The Plague" can be interpreted as a metaphor for the Holocaust, which he knew was happening all around him.

I'm grateful for this reminder of how into Camus I was years back. I too have to go back and re-read his work.

angstlessk

(11,862 posts)

4. My English professor had us read 'The Stranger'

Reply to kairos12 (Original post)

Fri Nov 20, 2020, 03:52 PM

Nov 2020

and 'The Metamorphosis' by Franz Kafka

He must have wanted to be a philosophy professor?

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