Martin Heidegger Alber Camus and Sigmund Freud

Heidiegger Camus

Martin Heidegger's "Being and Time" addresses both of these complex philosophical concepts, being and time. Being means existence, or the fact that something can exist. Heidegger approaches the concept of being from multiple perspectives. Being is the quality of existence, or the fact that something exists. Does this mean the opposite of Being is Nothingness? What does Heidegger say about anti-matter? Heidegger also probes the force that causes a thing or concept to come into being. It may only be possible to contemplate the quality or state of being if the thinker exists, meaning that a nothing cannot think about a something. Heidegger comes close to suggesting the existence of a collective human soul, a grand Being, which he calls Dasein. The Dasein is not quite like the Nietzsche, but it is an archetypal super being that has the potential to contemplate existence.

For Heidegger, Being and Time are closely connected. All beings exist in the space-time continuum. Is Heidegger saying that is not possible for a being to exist outside of this construct, meaning that immortality is impossible? Heidegger does seem to imply that birth and death, on a linear time construction, are necessary conditions for the state of being. If Time is cyclical, though, would that mean that Being would be conceived of as a constant?

"The Myth of Sisyphus" by Albert Camus explores the nature of reality via what the author calls the "absurd." Life has an absurd character to it, which human beings grapple with and find either confusing or funny. The concept of the absurd resolves a classic existential dilemma: that is, the meaning of life. Camus suggests that it is acceptable if life has no meaning, and that people can still live happy and fulfilling lives without an ultimate sense of meaning. The search for meaning can in itself be viewed as an absurdity in the human condition. In "The Myth of Sisyphus," Camus claims that the only way to resolve existential angst is accepting the absurdity of life and moving through it. The central allegory of the Myth of Sisyphus is a Greek story of Sisyphus, who is punished to eternal damnation on earth by having to roll a rock up a hill. The rock rolls down again, and so Sisyphus is in a state of perpetual motion. Nothing is happening, but if Sisyphus can accept the absurdity in the situation, he can achieve liberation. This mentality can be applied to any frustrating situation in life. Any time a person feels trapped, the simple awareness and acceptance of that fact can lead to mental liberation. Camus's philosophy can be applied to any life situation in which a person can find the humor in the absurdity of an event or a person.