Topics Worth Investigating

  1. Camus states, "A face that toils so close to stones is already stone itself!" If life is tragic when we become conscious of the work and roles we play, and we become as an object when we are not conscious of the work and roles we play, how then does it become possible to think that our lives can have meaning?

  2. From a psychological point of view, do some persons lose themselves in any and all activities in order to avoid consciousness of their predicament? What kind of courage would it take to become aware of their situation? Finally, what could be done about it?

  3. According to Camus, how can we establish a meaning for our lives? How is it that Sisyphus can be happy? How can it be that "Happiness and the absurd are two sons of the same earth"?

  4. What is the significance of the concept of fate in Camus's explanation of the myth? Would the reality of a person's fate preclude the possibility of that person having some control over that person's life?

  5. What does Camus mean by there being no higher destiny than "a personal fate"? How is this notion related to the possibility of happiness for human beings?