Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Albert Camus analyzes Dubya, Iraq, and "a world in despair"

Of course, Camus wasn’t really talking about the latest (final?) chapter of the American Nightmare, but I believe this excerpt (pp. 183-4 in my edition) from The Rebel could find a comfortable home in many contemporary discussions:

“Irrational terror transforms men into objects, ‘planetary bacilli,’ according to Hitler’s formula. It proposes the destruction, not only of the individual, but of the universal possibilities of the individual, of reflection, solidarity, and the urge to absolute love.  Propaganda and torture are the direct means of bringing about disintegration; more destructive still are systemic degradation, identification with the cynical criminal, and forced complicity. The triumph of the man who kills or tortures is marred only by one shadow: he is unable to feel that he is innocent. Thus, he must create guilt in his victim so that, in a world that has no direction, universal guilt will authorize no other course of action than the use of force and gives its blessing to nothing but success. When the concept of innocence disappears from the mind of the innocent victim himself, the value of power establishes a definitive rule over a world in despair. This is why an unworthy and cruel penitence reigns over this world where only the stones are innocent. The condemned are compelled to hang one another ... This is the final realization of freedom: the power to kill and degrade saves the servile soul from emptiness.”

Your thoughts?

(Also: Feel free to suggest other sections of The Rebel for future discussion.)

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Posted on 05/02 at 04:34 AM
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