1. Albert Camus

2. Three Philosophical Movements • Existentialism: A belief that neither human beings nor the universe has any essentialnature. Human beings construct their natures through their choices. • Absurdism: A belief that our need for meaning is greater than the ability of the universe to be meaningful, making all philosophical positions absurd. • Moralism: A philosophical enquiry into the ethical implications of the human condition.

3. Camus’ Existential Moralism • Human beings inhabit a moral universe in which there are no absolute guidelines • Nonetheless, we have an ethical sense that we try to live up to—most of us want to be “good people,” though it is difficult to pin down exactly what this means. (BEING A GOOD PERSON ALSO MEANS DEFINING EXACTLY WHAT THAT MEANS)

4. Camus’ Existential Moralism • Life constantly presents us with moral choices without giving us the right answers • The various ways that we try to define a moral code and live by it constitute our moral being • We define ourselves as moral beings by the choices that we make within the ethical system that we construct.

5. Daru’s Choice Daru’s choice of whether to take the Arab prisoner to be executed or to set him free represents the kinds of moral choices that we all make: there are no solid guidelines for him to use, but there are genuine moral implications to whatever he decides.

6. The Arab’s Choice The Arab’s choice represents the existential choice that we all make. He is given complete freedom to live or die, but chooses a comfortable execution to the discomfort of real, meaningful freedom.