Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2014 Between nihilism and transcendence : Albert Camus' dialogue with Nietzsche and Dostoevsky Sean Derek Illing Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Political Science Commons Recommended Citation Illing, Sean Derek, "Between nihilism and transcendence : Albert Camus' dialogue with Nietzsche and Dostoevsky" (2014). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 1393. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/1393 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. BETWEEN NIHILISM AND TRANSCENDENCE: ALBERT CAMUS’ DIALOGUE WITH NIETZSCHE AND DOSTOEVSKY A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Political Science by Sean D. Illing B.A., Louisiana State University, 2007 M.A., University of West Florida, 2009 May 2014 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation is the product of many supportive individuals. I am especially grateful for Dr. Cecil Eubank’s guidance. As a teacher, one can do no better than Professor Eubanks. Although his Socratic glare can be terrifying, there is always love and wisdom in his instruction. It is no exaggeration to say that this work would not exist without his support. At every step, he helped me along as I struggled to articulate my thoughts. Frankly, I do not believe one can come closer to the Hellenic ideal of the educator than Dr. Eubanks. So thank you Cecil, for pointing the way and for teaching me the meaning of a philosophical education. I sincerely hope this work is something of which you can be proud. As a mentor, Dr. Wayne Parent has been instrumental to my success at LSU. Without Wayne, I am not sure I would have survived. Whether he was helping me find funding or easing my many anxieties at our weekly lunches, Wayne was a pillar of support. Over the course of the last four years, I have learned much from him. Above all, he showed me what it means to be a friend. No one is more generous with his time or possessions than Wayne, and his reputation as an excellent teacher and a good man are well deserved. So thank you Wayne, for your friendship, for the edifying whiskey nights, and for your constant direction. Nothing I write here will express my admiration for Dr. Dustin Howes. Besides our mutual love for basketball, Dustin and I share a passion for social and political justice, and I’ve turned to him on several occasions for advice. Last spring, when he asked me to teach his course on nonviolence, I happily agreed. In addition to being one of the more rewarding and instructive experiences I’ve had as a teacher, Dustin’s class ii expanded my interest in the problem of violence and helped to crystallize many of the ideas in this dissertation. It was in Dustin’s seminar, in fact, that I was first introduced to Camus, and his insights then and later were central to my subsequent research. So thank you Dustin, for your time, for your kindness, and for your example. I also owe a great deal to the Political Science faculty and to my fellow graduate students. Thanks: to Dr. Sobek for forcing me to choose between IR and Theory and for the many afternoons of beer pong; to Dr. Sandoz for introducing me to Voegelin and to the history of political thought more generally; to Dr. Stoner for finding me an assistantship my first year and for trusting me to teach an upper-level course at the last minute; and to each of my instructors for challenging my ideas and biases. I cannot imagine having finished this project without the support of my friends and colleagues at LSU. Dr. Nathan Price was a reliable voice of sanity and, most importantly, a good friend. Our weekly pitcher nights were a reprieve during those coursework years. Matthew Snyder is a true comrade. Your generosity and friendship over the years have helped me through the torments of graduate school. Thank you, brother. I began this journey in 2005 with Brian Morris, as each of us muddled through our final year in the military. Those early years at LSU are among the best of my life, and they would not have been what they were without you. Lastly, each of my classmates, in their own way, helped to light my path. I thank you all. I must thank my family and loved ones. I would not have completed this dissertation without the many sacrifices of my father in particular, who was ready and willing to do whatever was needed to ensure that I finished graduate school. When money dried up at the end of the semester, as it often did, my mother always offered to iii help. Besides sparing me the embarrassment of asking, this kept me afloat until the next stipend payment – for that I am grateful. The encouragement I received from all of my family meant everything to me, and I thank each of you for telling me that I’ve made you proud. Finally, I want to thank my partner and best friend, Lauren Stuart. Thanks for being patient, loving, and understanding throughout this process. I could not have finished this thing without your support. Those long days of writing would have been insufferable without your infectious grace and delicious peanut butter balls. I thank you from the bottom of my heart and look forward to whatever the future holds for us. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………..………….ii ABSTRACT…………….……………………………….................................................vii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION…………………...…………………………..........1 The Appeal of Nietzsche and Dostoevsky………………………………………...7 Camus’ Dialogue with Nietzsche and Dostoevsky………………..……………..10 Previous Literature……………………...………………………………………..14 CHAPTER 2: CAMUS’ SENSUALIST LITERATURE………………………………..28 Camus’ Early Fiction…………………………………………………………….41 A Happy Death…..………………………………………………………………50 The Stranger…………………………………………………………………...…55 Caligula…...……………………………………………………………………...59 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….62 CHAPTER 3: THE ABSURD PSYCHE……………………………………......……...65 The Stranger and Caligula……………………………………………………….72 The Misunderstanding……………………………………..……………....…….79 The Fall……………………………………………………….………………….83 Estrangement in The Fall and Notes From Underground…………..……….…...93 Nietzschean Resentment in The Fall and Notes From Underground…………..100 Conclusion…………………………………………………………...…………110 CHAPTER FOUR: ABSURDITY AND THE APOTHEOSIS OF REASON…..……113 Dostoevsky and Reason…………………………………...……………………123 Ideology and Logical Crime…………………………….……………………...130 Hegel and the Deification of Reason…………………………..……………….139 Freedom and Despotism………………………………….…………………….150 Conclusion……………………………………………...………………………156 CHAPTER FIVE: THE POLITICS OF REVOLT……………………………….…….159 Freedom and Morality Without God…………………………..……………….167 From Solipsism to Revolt………………………………......…………………..176 The Growing Stone………………………………………………………..……186 The First Man…………………………………………………………………...190 Revolt as Tension………………………………………………………...……..195 Revolt in Practice………………………………………………………….……203 The Just Assassins……………………………………………………………...208 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………...212 CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSION…………………………………………………...…217 Between Nihilism and Transcendence………………………….…..…………..221 Camus’ Legacy………………………………………………………...……….229 v REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………239 VITA……………………………………………………………………………………245 vi ABSTRACT This dissertation examines the impact of Fyodor Dostoevsky and Friedrich Nietzsche on the development of Albert Camus’ political philosophy. The innovation of the present study is in the attempt to offer a substantive examination of Camus’ dialogue with Nietzsche and Dostoevsky. To the extent that connections between these writers have been discussed, it has been in the general context of modern thought or it has focused on overlapping literary themes. This project emphasizes the political dimensions of these connections. In addition to re-interpreting Camus’ political thought, the aim is to clarify Camus’ struggle with transcendence and to bring renewed attention to his unique understanding of the relationship between nihilism, ideology, and political violence in the twentieth century. I focus on Camus’ dialogue with Nietzsche and Dostoevsky for three reasons. First, these are the thinkers with whom Camus is most engaged. Indeed the problems and themes of Camus’ work are largely defined by Dostoevsky and Nietzsche; a full account of this dialogue will therefore enhance our understanding of Camus while also reinforcing the enduring importance of Nietzsche and Dostoevsky. Second, it allows me to recast Camus’ political philosophy as both a synthesis of and a response to Nietzsche and Dostoevsky’s projects. Finally, I believe this approach allows for a re- assessment of Camus’ broader political significance, which I contend has been undervalued in the literature. Ultimately, I argue that Camus remains among the most important moral and political voices of the twentieth century. Although limited, his philosophy of revolt offers a humane portrait of justice and articulates a meaningful alternative to the extremes of ideological politics. vii CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION “In the spectacle of