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Brent Matheny

3rd Term SIA


1.

C. S. Lewis is the quintessential late-in-life convert to Christianity. In the spirit of St. Augustine

and Thomas Aquinas, he was an apologist and attempted to rationalize the existence of God. This is
enforced by his defense of the true sciences in The Screwtape Letters. Lewis thought that by
observing the world as it was, it's divine nature would be revealed. Conversely, he thought that
heuristics such as Economics, Philology, and Post-Modernism obscure the works of God in the eyes
of men and should be avoided.
Lewis's Christianity can be best described as a quiet Christianity or, perhaps, mere
Christianity. It is one at peace with oneself, at one with the natural world, and free radicalism.
2.

Albert Camus, in stark contrast to Lewis rejects the inherent meaning of life that Lewis's theism

allows him to take for granted. In Camus's view, man is in a constant struggle against the absurd and is
constantly held in the grip of searching for meaning while the void refuses to even stare back. Not an
existentialist, Camus thought that to attempt to create meaning would entail a sort of philosophical
suicide that would be avoiding the problem of absurdity, rather than solving it. Not a nihilist, he also
thought that regular suicide was also out of the question as, like life, death was also meaningless and
therefore would still be avoiding the problem of the Absurd.
Because of this, he advocates for a sort of straddling between the two; to continue living but to
be in constant awareness of its futility and meaninglessness. This is seen in The Stranger when
Meursault finally accepts the indifference of the universe in the final pages. Surprisingly, throughout
his work, recurring themes of cooperation and solidarity come up, such as Meursault's fast friendship
with Raymond. From values such as these, Camus seems to draw some sort of meaning.
3.

I think that Camus makes a stronger case, perhaps not in the specific works at hand, but rather

in The Myth of Sisyphus. (fun fact, a song entitled Sisyphus from the 1999 Myths and Hymns just

Brent Matheny
came on my Spotify as I'm writing this, its pretty cool). Absurdism speaks to me personally more than
Lewis's Christianity, at least at this point in my life. This may be because I'm sad a lot and can't get a
boyfriend or the fact that as a youth in modern education, I am taking part in what is very much an
absurd system that doesn't seem to care much for rules or consistency. The one part that is concerning
to me about Camus's philosophy is the degree of apathy that it seems to, to a degree, advocate. As nice
as a summer in Algiers sounds, I am not envious of Meursault's life, even execution not withstanding.
Though I am aware that Meursault was not an bermensch that Camus thought all people should
attempt to emulate, I am not ready to embrace that apathy that so much of Camus's work seems to be
based on.
There are elements of Lewis's worldview that I do find appealing. Much of what he talks about
in the realm of interpersonal relations can be taken without the religious tint. Be aware of how some
people are toxic to you. Be aware that small impolitenesses can grow to a destroyed relationship. As I
currently see it, life may not have any apparent meaning, but it can be made a lot more enjoyable by not
being a dick to people as much as possible.

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