Between Nihilism and Transcendence: Camus's Dialogue with Dostoevsky

Abstract

AbstractThis article examines the influence of Fyodor Dostoevsky on Albert Camus's political philosophy of revolt. The aim is to clarify Camus's reactions to the problems of absurdity, nihilism, and transcendence through an analysis of his literary and philosophical engagement with Dostoevsky. I make three related claims. First, I claim that Camus's philosophy of revolt is informed in crucial ways by Dostoevsky's accounts of religious transcendence and political nihilism. Second, that Camus's conceptualization of the tension between nihilism and transcendence corresponds to and is personified by the dialogue between Ivan Karamazov and Father Zossima in Dostoevsky'sThe Brothers Karamazov. Finally, that Camus uses his novelThe Plagueto bridge the moral and metaphysical divide between these two characters. In particular, I argue that Camus offers a distinct vision of revolt inThe Plague, which clarifies both the practical implications of revolt and his philosophical rejoinder to Dostoevsky.