Paco Catholic School

1521 Paz Street Paco, Manila

High School Department
PAASCU Accredited Level III

In partial fulfilment of the requirements in Philosophy

The Absurdity of Suicide:

the Views on the Thoughts of Albert Camus on
the Futility of Life and Why People Think of Suicide

A research paper presented to:

Mr. Romartino Soriano

Presented by:

Group 5

Rañola, Andreu John C.

Rocha, Eiron A.
Nohay, John Angelo S.
Catacutan, Rundell John V.

11-STEM 1

February 19, 2024

 Paco Catholic School
1521 Paz Street Paco, Manila
High School Department
PAASCU Accredited Level III

The Problem that Albert Camus tackled when writing his book on “the myth of
Sisyphus” was the thought of suicide, however a deeper truth can be seen while reading his
thoughts. The thoughts of life being futile, all these achievements, all these accomplishments,
all of these beautiful lives, all for nothing in the face of Death. As to him, what is the
difference with a life well lived to one that someone took prematurely? How could we tell
which life was worth living? In today's world where a lot of people feel like their life would
amount to nothing, to them what is the appeal of having a long life? Whereas today, our life
is judged by our achievements and contributions to the world, where life has nearly
discovered everything, we can discover. Most people die without ever contributing much to
life. What is the point of having a long life when both options end with you not much with
the world. But to understand the points sir albert campus proposed let us first understand who
he is.

Albert Camus was born on November 7, 1913, in Mondovi, Algeria and grew up in
Algiers, Algeria. His mother, Catherine Hélène Sintès-Camus, is a deaf illiterate of Spanish
origin. He never met his father, who died on the battlefield in 1914, at the start of WWI.
Albert Camus attended a primary school in 1918. Camus had a fortunate opportunity to study
under renowned professor Louis Germain, which significantly helped him getting a
scholarship to attend the Algiers lycée in 1923. Camus was very thankful to Germain that he
helped him a lot and also learned from him. Even though 3 decades and a half already had
passed he still acknowledges Germain. Camus showed his sense of loyalty and respect by
dedicating his speech upon winning a Nobel Prize for Literature Award.

In Camus' childhood he suffered seriously ill with tuberculosis and believed

that he would die at an early age which pushed him throughout philosophy as he grew older.
Albert Camus was influenced by Jean Grenier, a professor at the University of Algiers,
during his studies. Grenier was a great help to him as he advanced his studies, especially in
philosophy. During the 1930s, Camus broadened his areas of interest. In addition to reading
contemporary writers like André Gide, Henry de Montherlant, and André Malraux, he was
well-known among Algiers' youthful left-wing intellectuals.

In terms of the politics and philosophy of existentialism, Camus is one of the philosophers
who also tackled this concept, the absurdity of life. Camus gives a quite different view on
absurdity. Camus believed that the absurd is a direct result of the absence of God. Without
God, the disparity between human aspirations and the world is pronounced. The human
condition is characterized by the probability of suffering and the certainty of death—a fate
which human reason cannot accept as reasonable. The absurd also comes with the realization
 Paco Catholic School
1521 Paz Street Paco, Manila
High School Department
PAASCU Accredited Level III

that our world is irrational.

Suicide is the only one truly serious problem in philosophical matters. Suicide judges
whether life is worthy or not living. Camus also recounts the story of Sisyphus, who
disobeyed the gods and bound Death so that no one would have to die. Camus uses the
endless and pointless labor of Sisyphus as a metaphor for the lives that people lead today,
toiling away at meaningless jobs in offices and factories. "The workman of today works
every day in his life at the same tasks, and this fate is no less absurd. But it is tragic only at
the rare moments when it becomes conscious." That's why Camus believes and said that he
saw others getting killed by having the idea or illusions that there's a reason for not giving up
and living, which basically he is saying that a reason for living is also an excellent reason for
dying. There he concludes that the meaning of life is the most urgent question of all.

Camus deepens his rationale as he discusses, does the absurdity of life with no
meaning require us to seek out an escapism though which we either see in hope or in suicide.
In hope we seek purpose in this world we live in, we find all that is possible and leave the
absurd to a higher being like gods or beasts we worship to give as answers to those absurd
problems.

However, in suicide, Camus disputed that we do the opposite, we embrace that life
truly has no meaning, that whatever we do would amount to nothing. Like what se mentioned
with the legend of Sisyphus, we are Sisyphus, rolling the heavy boulder up the hill. We do
tasks that we think would lead to something once we complete it, yet as the myth showed, the
boulder falls. The work we put into pushing the boulder was all for naught. The only thing
that truly awaits us is death.

Our group rejects Camus's views on life's absurdity and philosophy. It seems as
though Camus is making the point that we have no idea why we are here on Earth. He even
summarized the Legend of Sisyphus and used it as a metaphor saying that all we do is futile
and meaningless. We also look at it that he is saying life is pointless and that "Suicide is a
permanent solution to a temporary problem." He believes that life ends with death but until
that everything is up to us.

We argue against Camus's claim that suicide is acceptable as an escape because

everything is up to us. We believe that our lives have never been meaningless, and that there
is a reason to why we're in this world. Even when life becomes too hard, death should never
be used as a last resort. Don't think of suicide as a solution to problems. Problems are
temporary and have a solution because our world is rational. Suicide is the most awful act of
cowardice. that suicide is wrong; when it is quite obvious that there is nothing in the world to
which every man has a more unquestionable right than his own life and person.
 Paco Catholic School
1521 Paz Street Paco, Manila
High School Department
PAASCU Accredited Level III

In addition, we argue because we have distinct views about life. In contrast with Camus’
philosophy of the absurd, we believe there is an upside to life which might lead to the
discovery of our purpose. By acknowledging the capacity of individuals to create meaning,
we can move beyond the absurdity depicted by Albert Camus. Morally condoning suicide as
a way to get away from our problems is never a solution, instead, we overcome these
problems and give life another chance. The mysterious nature of life is what keeps it
fascinating and not worthless.

Furthermore, we embrace hope. We embrace what we can do here in this time we have,
we may aspire to immortal life, we may aspire to have the same power as the gods we believe
in. but that’s not the point we are making, as even if we have both of those gifts, life would
still feel futile, for we did not make life fascinating. Immortal life is nothing if we cannot
enjoy what we can do in this world. That’s why we embrace hope, for it gives life meaning in
a way. It gives us purpose in an otherwise purposeless world.

The Myth of Sisyphus questions common ideas about the meaning and purpose of
life, urging us to confront the absurdity of existence. Using Sisyphus as an example by
symbolizing the meaninglessness and futility of modern life. Highlighting Camus' claims that
we struggle only to face death. The essay reiterates that suicide is an acceptable way of
escaping the enigmatic significance of life, which we oppose because suicide is a personal
decision. It only exposes one’s weaknesses and emphasizes his/her unworthiness and lack of
vision in life. Committing such an immoral act is never a solution to our problems. Although
the meaning of our existence is yet unknown, we can make it significant by living the most of
it. On a final note, here is a quote from albert campus book which sums up what we mean in a
neat bow,
“O my soul, do not aspire to immortal life, but exhaust the limits of the possible”.
(-Pindar, Pythian iii)
 Paco Catholic School
1521 Paz Street Paco, Manila
High School Department
PAASCU Accredited Level III

References:

O’Brien, J. (Trans.). (2018b). An Absurd Reasoning. In the myth of Sisyphus. essay, vintage
books.

Camus, A. camus. (n.d.). Camus: The Myth of Sisyphus. Camus: The Myth of Sisyphusp.
https://www2.hawaii.edu/~freeman/courses/phil360/16.%20Myth%20of
%20Sisyphus.pdf

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (2024, February 20). Albert Camus. Encyclopædia

Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Albert-Camus

O’Brien, J. (Trans.). (2018a). An Absurd Reasoning. In the myth of Sisyphus. essay, vintage
books.