The friendship of Camus and Sartre went from bromance to bitter hatred. The two giants of 20th-century philosophy first became friends during WW2 but the friendship was doomed to fail. The conflict of Camus vs. Sartre boils down to their political philosophy. The philosophy of Albert Camus was one of peace and valued the individual human being; the philosophy of Jean Paul Sartre on the other hand emphasised the need to end oppression and colonialism.
Sartre and Camus falling out was one of the major events of 20th century philosophy. It represented two paths forward in the world. In this episode of the living philosophy we explore the friendship of Camus and Sartre and the bitter feud that brought it to an end.
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📚 Further Reading:
Camus, A., 2013. The Myth of Sisyphus. Penguin UK.
Camus, A., 2012. The rebel: An essay on man in revolt. Vintage.
Camus, A., 2013. The outsider. Penguin UK.
Sartre, J., 1960 Tribute to Albert Camus http://faculty.webster.edu/corbetre/philosophy/existentialism/camus/sartre-tribute.html
Secondary:
Aronson, R., 2004. Camus and Sartre: The story of a friendship and the quarrel that ended it. University of Chicago Press.
Foley, J., 2014. Albert Camus: From the absurd to revolt. Routledge.
Todd, O., 2015. Albert Camus: A Life. Random House.
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⌛ Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:20 The Friendship
4:03 The Shadows of Conflict
5:58 Camus’s The Rebel and the Explosive Feud
9:36 Their Conflicting Responses to the Algerian Crisis
14:44 Camus’s Death, Sartre’s Obituary and Disdain for Camus
17:08 Conclusion: Camus vs. Sartre
