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Albert Camus' Political Thought: from Passion to Compassion

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Albert Camus' Political Thought: from Passion to Compassion City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 2-2014 Albert Camus' political thought: from passion to compassion Angel López-Santiago Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/67 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] Albert Camus’ political thought: from passion to compassion by: Angel López-Santiago A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Political Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2014. This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Political Science in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Jack Jacobs _______________ ________________________ Date Chair of Examining Committee Alyson Cole _______________ ________________________ Date Acting Executive Officer Professor Uday Mehta Professor Mitchell Cohen Professor Raúl Cotto-Serrano Supervisory Committee THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK ii Abstract Albert Camus’ political thought: from passion to compassion by Angel López Santiago Adviser: Professor Marshall Berman, The Graduate Center, CUNY The present work analyzes the political thought of Albert Camus, specifically the challenges of the justice ideal, and Camus’ prioritization of the concepts of limits and compassion. Although Camus is not usually considered part of the traditional canon of political philosophy, I organized his thought into three major areas: a sub-theory of the human being, a sub-theory of institutions, and a sub-theory of political change. This method, I demonstrate, is ideal for extracting and organizing the political ideas of non-traditional political writers. In the case of Camus, he advocates for an international and democratic ‘civilization of dialogue’ as part of his sub-theory of institutions, a preference for limited revolt over unpredictable and violent revolution as part of his sub-theory of political change, and, given what he called the ‘solidarity of man in error and aberration’, a marked preference for compassion over justice in times of political crises as his sub-theory of the human being. iii In memoriam Five days before seeing this thesis through, on September 11, 2013, my thesis adviser, friend and mentor, Marshall Berman, passed away at 72 in his beloved New York City. He shepherded me into doctoral school, showed me the way through this dissertation, brought innumerable insights into my argument and even talked with the other members of my committee, the day before his passing, about how happy he was with this work. He had said as much during our last conversation, a long chat that I now find myself rerunning constantly in my head. Yet, Marshall could not physically reach our meeting on Monday September 16, 2013 for my dissertation defense. This thesis is dedicated to Marshall, whom I will sorely miss. Marshall Berman. I moved to New York City looking for you. I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be having so much fun talking and arguing with you at such a personal and intimate level. You represent what I love about this city and this life. Thanks for your love and help Marshall. Keep rocking it out, wherever you are. And thanks for making this city and the South Bronx intelligible for me. iv Acknowledgement It has taken me almost a decade to finish my doctoral work, so the list of people to be grateful to is quite extensive. Very special thanks to… My beloved wife, Libertad O. Guerra, whose unconditional support and love throughout the years have shaped my ideas and the very core of my being. I love you to no end, and will never be able to repay my debt of gratitude. My admiration for you, my respect for you and what you represent has no boundaries. Thanks for that perfect baby girl! My beloved daughter, Xul Marina, who has made me discover a well of love that is both ridiculous in its depth and all-encompassing. I simply wish that that the words of Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s blessing upon learning of your birth become true: may you be blessed with the mysteries of this cosmos! My two parents, who are not around anymore. My sweet mother, Elizabeth. My unpredictable father, Patricio. I miss you both dearly. Thank you for giving me such a happy childhood. For buying me that encyclopedia, for having so many books around the house, for subscribing me to Time, Reader’s Digest, and Guitar Magazine. I promised I was going to end my doctorate, and here it is! Sorry it took me so long. But hope you give me a pass. v My three wonderful in-laws: Nicky, Héctor and Lucas. You are my family and I am the luckiest man for that. You supported me since my B.A. years, you pushed me to finish this, you gave me the gift of my beautiful and smart wife, I cannot ask for anything more. Thanks. Lucas, I miss you since 1996. And wish you around us every single day of my life. Thanks for being so fun, so open and so humane. My sweet sister, Elymer and my niece, Ailish (la loca!). You keep me connected to Puerto Rico. You remind me where I come from. You have supported me in untold ways, and took care of papi and mami until the end. I love you both deeply. I also love Joe and his support and love of you two. You three are that bridge to my roots. My three wonderful committee members: Uday Mehta, Jack Jacobs and Raúl Cotto-Serrano. Uday Mehta: you warmly met with me, guided me, made yourself available. You are a wise and special human being. Thank you for your solid support. Jack Jacobs: you counseled me both academically and personally throughout the years. Never abandoning me, always trusting and solid in your friendship and support. I only wish I could pay forward your support when the time comes for me to counsel my future students. Thanks Jack! And Raúl Cotto-Serrano…wow Professor. You have known and supported me for decades. You made me the intellectual and researcher that I am now, though I have to take full responsibility for my failings. As a professor, I want to be like you: your dedication, your educational method, your openness and sternness, your meaningful brevity. vi Finally, all my wonderful friends from years back, and my neighbors: Ura, Camila, Yesenia, Rebio, Suberví, Roberto, Mychal, Corrine, all the folks at SouthBronxUnite and the South Bronx; also to Pablito, Jonás, Edwin, Alejandro, Tito, Mariana, Ivelisse, Teófilo and Alex Betancourt (thanks brother!!!); my beloved yoga instructor and spiritual mentor, David Hollander…thank you all for constantly reminding me that I needed to be dissertating and not having a great time with you all. Now I can guiltlessly have a great time with you all again! vii Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 1 Chapter One: Heuristics and Critical Bibliography .................................................................................... 7 A - The Great Conversation ...................................................................................................................... 7 B – Context and Intentions within political philosophy............................................................................ 8 C - Visions of Politics ............................................................................................................................. 12 D - Neither Skinner nor Wolin ................................................................................................................ 18 E – The theory of sub-theories in political philosophy ........................................................................... 20 E - Conclusion......................................................................................................................................... 37 Chapter Two: Albert Camus’ sub-theory of the human being : The Absurd ............................................ 38 A - Presenting Camus’ works ................................................................................................................. 38 B - Style .................................................................................................................................................. 42 C - Sub-theory of the human being: Life absurdly sustained .................................................................. 44 D - The Fall: a gloomy revision on Camus’ sub-theory of the human being ......................................... 61 Chapter Three: the revolt : Albert Camus’ sub-theory of political change .............................................. 71 Chapter Four: sub-theory of political institutions: Extra! A modest global democracy is needed! ....... 135 Chapter Five: Conclusion: The limits of justice ..................................................................................... 159 Bibliography….........................................................................................................................................174 viii Notre foi est qu’il y a en marche dans le monde, parallèlement à la force de contrainte et de mort qui obscurcit l’histoire, une force de persuasion et de vie, un immense mouvement d’émancipation qui s’appelle la
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