Bokelskere.no

Albert Camus, an existentialist novelist, offers three responses
to the absurdity of human life.
First, one can commit suicide.

As he puts it, “There is only one really serious philosophical question,
and that is suicide”.

The second option, reflected by his character Rieux in The Plague,
is to fight for humanity as best one can
even though there is no conviction that ultimate success is ever attainable.

The third, adopted by the title character of his play Caligula,
is to take whatever benefits are available for oneself,
since the absurdity of life will triumph in the end.

Woody Allen’s movie Crimes and Misdemeanors reflects an existentialist form
of atheism.
In that movie, an ophthalmologist is involved in an extramarital affair
and wants to end it, but his mistress threatens him with exposure
if he tries to end the affair.
Soon he contacts his mobster brother and has her murdered.

He is at first stricken with shame and talks to his rabbi about confessing,
but in the end he concludes that God is a luxury he can’t afford
and stops feeling guilty.
From an atheistic perspective there is no advantage to doing the right thing
and confessing, over leaving the crime under the rug.

( notert på veggen herfra, etter filosofi-systematiker Victor Reppert )

Siterte artikkel tar for seg å gi systematisk overblikk over
de ulike mulige utgaver av et ateistisk grunnsyn.