2021/11/02 by Philip Bunn · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Hannah Arendt's Political Philosophy #Philosophy, Ethics, and Existentialism #Political Theology and Sovereignty
paper · doi:10.1080/10457097.2021.1997529
openalex publication_date 2021/11/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2025/11/06
The relationship between the thought of Albert Camus and Simone Weil has been partially explored by scholars since their deaths. However, current scholarship does not fully explain the influence Weil’s life and work had on Camus’ esthetics, a full treatment of which is necessary to truly understand the significance of Camus’ adoption of the idea of the rebel as artist. Camus’ thought progresses significantly from his early esthetics of the will in his Essay on Music, affirming art as fundamentally an egoistic act, to a later esthetics of transcendence, affirming the selflessness of artistic rebellion. This paper argues that Camus’ development both mirrors Weil’s own philosophical development and corresponds to Camus’ exposure to and assimilation of Weil’s thought on decreation, beauty, and the transcendent. By establishing that Camus’ development in his esthetic and political theories corresponds to his exposure to and praise of Weil, I argue that Weil’s influence on Camus explains his later turn away from Nietzsche and to the affirmation of human nature, beauty in the world, and selfless rebellion and creation.