Albert Camus vs. Jean-Paul Sartre
The Living Philosophy・19 minutes read
After World War II, intellectual superstars Sartre and Camus, despite being close friends, had a public fallout over their philosophical disagreement on communism and violence, leading to their friendship's demise. Sartre supported violent means for revolutionary justice, while Camus denounced revolutionary violence, actively engaging in real-world actions for peace in Algeria, embodying his philosophical ideals.
Insights
- The friendship breakdown between Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus, two intellectual giants post-WWII, was rooted in a fundamental philosophical disagreement over the justification of violence for revolutionary causes, particularly communism, showcasing the clash between Sartre's Marxist beliefs advocating for violence and Camus' ethical rejection of revolutionary violence.
- Albert Camus' active engagement in real-world actions, such as attempting to broker a civilian truce during Algeria's fight for independence, stands in stark contrast to Jean-Paul Sartre's more theoretical approach from his Parisian ivory tower, illustrating Camus as a man who lived his philosophy of advocating for peace and opposing revolutionary violence, despite facing isolation and exile for his beliefs.
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Summary
00:00
"Intellectual Superstars: Sartre vs. Camus"
- After World War II, the intellectual landscape of Europe was in ruins, with great thinkers like Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Albert Camus debating the future ideology.
- Sartre and Camus, intellectual superstars, met in Nazi-occupied Paris in 1943, forming a close friendship despite differing backgrounds and appearances.
- The two men, both Nobel Prize winners, became celebrities whose friendship breakdown was a major cultural event due to a philosophical dispute over communism and violence.
- Sartre believed in justifying violence for communism, while Camus vehemently disagreed, leading to their public fallout in 1951.
- Camus' book "The Rebel" marked the end of their friendship, with Camus denouncing revolutionary violence and ideologies like Marxism and fascism.
- Sartre, a Marxist, believed in the necessity of violence for revolutionary justice, contrasting Camus' rejection of such violence.
- The disagreement intensified during Algeria's fight for independence, with Sartre supporting the FLN's terrorism as justified resistance, while Camus condemned civilian targeting.
- Camus, despite being exiled from the left due to his nuanced views, actively petitioned for condemned Algerian militants, avoiding public recognition.
- Camus' ethical independence led to his isolation from the intellectual elite, who saw his stance on Algeria as supporting oppression, contrasting Sartre's more radical views.
- The irony lies in Sartre's criticism of Camus as detached from reality, overlooking Camus' active role in the French Resistance, while Sartre himself remained distant from direct involvement in liberation efforts.
13:28
Camus vs Sartre: Philosophical Ivory Tower vs Real-world Engagement
- Sartre, from his Parisian ivory tower, praised terrorist actions of the FLN in their fight against oppression, while Camus, personally acquainted with some victims, sought a middle way for peace in Algeria.
- Camus, unlike Sartre, actively engaged in real-world actions, bringing opposing parties together in Algeria for a civilian truce, despite the ultimate failure of his efforts.
- Sartre, an ideologue, preached from a distance, while Camus, a Nobel laureate, lived his philosophy, advocating for peace and the rights of native Algerians.
- Camus, forced into exile for his beliefs, was an outspoken advocate for peace and against revolutionary violence, embodying the ideals of Teddy Roosevelt's "man in the arena."
- The contrast between Sartre's ivory tower intellectualism and Camus' active engagement in the real world highlights the difference between the two philosophers, with Camus emerging as a hero who lived his philosophy.
