The Rebel: An Essay on Man in Revolt | Albert Camus | Camus eclipses nihilism and brings news of...

The Rebel: An Essay on Man in Revolt | Albert Camus | An inquiry into the ethics of rebellion

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The Rebel: An Essa...

	The Rebel: An Essay on Man in Revolt Albert Camus Vintage, 1992 - 320 pages average customer review:based on 23 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

By one of the most profoundly influential thinkers of our century, The Rebel is a classic essay on revolution. For Albert Camus, the urge to revolt is one of the "essential dimensions" of human nature, manifested in man's timeless Promethean struggle against the conditions of his existence, as well as the popular uprisings against established orders throughout history. And yet, with an eye toward the French Revolution and its regicides and deicides, he shows how inevitably the course of revolution leads to tyranny. As old regimes throughout the world collapse, The Rebel resonates as an ardent, eloquent, and supremely rational voice of conscience for our tumultuous times.

Translated from the French by Anthony Bower.

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Camus eclipses nihilism and brings news of a new age!

I first became interested in Albert Camus after reading a quote from The Rebel online. "I rebel, therefore we exist" was the quote, and I must admit that, after reading the book, there has never been anything truer written. When I was in a bookstore a few months ago I found a copy of The Rebel, which is apparently a rare sight these days, since The Rebel is often ignored. Camus is one of the most famous writers of the 20th century, so why would one of his masterpieces be ignored?

It has been ignored, from what I can gather, because it is a philosophical work in which Camus pulls no punches and examines thoroughly why the excessive crime and violence of our era exist. Camus explains how, in both philosophy and politics, the reigning attitude has been one of nihilism for the past two centuries. This nihilism, being necessarily without an aim, leads to dictatorship and gross amounts of suffering for humans, no matter what principles it claims on the surface. Camus systematically destroys those who have used the philosophies of Hegel, Nietzsche, Marx, surrealism, u.s.w., to justify their murderous plots.

Camus proposes that instead of nihilism and murder, we take to heart the ancient concepts of moderation and responsibility. Camus' destruction of modern governents and his proposals of these ancient ideas seem to have made this book unpopular. In this era of oppression, it is easy to ignore what offends us or makes us think. Camus gives the reader no choice. He must either raise a defiant fist to the giants of power, or he must give way to these minds that are utterly without scruples. I admire Camus deeply because of this--he has summed up the ideas I have been carrying around for years--but some will be deeply hurt by his comments. I leave you with a final thought: everyone is partly to blame for the state of the present and the future. You have the choice to make it either good or bad.

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An inquiry into the ethics of rebellion

This book followed his 'The Myth of Sisyphus'. Camus explains in the beginning that while his previous work was about the question of suicide, this one is about the other aspect of taking human lives - other people's lives (murder). The book however is not so much about murder, as it is about the ethics of rebellion.

At a deeper ideological level, Camus was reacting to the excesses of Soviet style communism with which he disagreed. He felt that rebellion is always at the risk of falling prey to the very tyranny it revolts against and destroys.

Camus however does not believe that rebellion is therefore not desirable. His humanitarian ideals harmonize with the dream of rebellion. So he tries to answer the question of how rebellion can escape falling prey to tyranny, albiet unsuccessfully, by taking the examples of Russian nihilists who fought tyranny through murder, but nevertheless punished themsleves for that act (because the act of murder becomes tyrranny if routinized).

In all his works, Camus is generally good with analysis but poor in his conclusions. This book is brilliant for its analysis of the ethics of rebellion and the dilemmas of a rebel. It raises important questions and leaves you free to find your own answers. That also harmonizes better with the spirit of existentialism.

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BETTER TO DIE ON ONE'S FEET THAN TO LIVE ON ONE'S KNEES...

Camus' The Rebel has stood the test of time and will continue to educate, inspire and empower those who read his essay. This book influenced MLK who understood the spirit of rebellion and applied it's principles. Whether we talk Gandhi, Sade, Kerouac, Hunter S. Thompson, Dean, Brando... the list goes on. With rebellion awareness is born. Read The Rebel and change your life... quit your job. End a dead-end relationship. Move on. Fight a law. Disagree with someone. Color outside the lines. Say no. Say no instead of yes. Start a revolution and change the world. Sedition is the way to a better existence.

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A work of genuis

I have never read a book by Camus I didn't like, and this series of essays on man's inclination if not inborne need to rebel is one more example how how Camus has cemented himself as one of the greatest authors of the twentieth century.
I only wish I had read this book when I was younger, I would have gained a better navigator for my own rebellious nature. Camus' research is provided in a series of essays that cover every major concept man has to rebel against. His examples are historic, unique, and facinating.

The Rebel meets every expectation set out by The Stranger and The Myth of Sisyphus

Camus' The Rebel is yet another brilliant outcry of the human conscience, the urge to revolt and man's timeless struggle against the conditions of his existence. Albert Camus is one of the most profoundly influential thinkers of this century. The Rebel is a definite must read for lovers of L'etranger and Myth of Sisyphus. Camus maintains his signature style of short, simple yet hard-hitting sentences that leave a lot to the imagination, thus giving the reader a chance to re-create their our vision. One of the best writers to come out of France, Camus' sharp eye toward the French Revolution shows how inevitably the course of revolution leads to tyranny. Much like his predecessors such as Kierkegaard and Dostoevsky, Albert Camus writes with an unshakable decency and his work is eloquent and supremely rational.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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