From the Absurd to Revolt: Ethical Responsibility and Solidarity in the Thought of Albert Camus

This thesis argues how Camus's recognition of the absurd does not destroy ethics but allows for its creation. When people realise that transcendent assurances vanish, whether it is God, the moral arc of history, or the pledge of future justice, only a very few elements persist the test of time. Among these is the common vulnerability of people in a silent, meaningless world. Through La Révolte, Camus confronts the meaninglessness and creates an ethics grounded in human dignity and self-limitation. The arguments of this thesis unfold in five sequential steps: Parts I and II trace the movement from the concept of the absurd in his work Le Mythe de Sisyphe to the idea of revolt developed in L'Homme révolté. Next, Part III explores how this transition gives rise to an ethic of solidarity and proportion in practice. Part IV then expands these ideas into an aesthetic dimension. Finally, Part V tests the resilience of Camus’s philosophical approach against two major criticisms: Sartre’s claim that revolt without a program is a luxury, and Fanon's and Said's critiques of Camus’s position and silence on Algerian independence. Rather than offering an unqualified defence of Camus, this thesis seeks to demonstrate that a philosophical approach with the capacity to confront the failings of its own author remains deserving of serious consideration.