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Suicide in Albert Camus' Existentialist Philosophy By SUICIDE IN ALBERT CAMUS’ EXISTENTIALIST PHILOSOPHY BY MADUABUCHI, RAPHAEL O. PG/MA/07/42992 DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA NSUKKA SUPERVISOR: REV. FR. PROF. B.O. EBOH JUNE, 2009 i SUICIDE IN AIBERT CAMUS’ EXISTENTIALIST PHILOSOPHY A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY, FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER OF ARTS (MA) DEGREE IN PHILOSOPHY BY MADUABUCHI, RAPHAEL .O. PG/MA/07/42992 SUPERVISOR: REV. FR. PROF. B.O. EBOH JUNE, 2009 ii APPROVAL PAGE This dissertation has been approved for the Department of Philosophy, University of Nigeria, Nsukka for the award of Master of Arts (MA) Degree in Philosophy. By _______________________ ___________________ REV. FR. PROF. B.O. EBOH INTERNAL EXAMINER (SUPERVISOR) _______________________ ___________________ PROF. J.C.A AGBAKOBA EXTERNAL EXAMINER (HEAD OF DEPARTMENT) _______________________ PROF. P.C. ONOKALA (DEAN OF FACULTY) iii CERTIFICATION Maduabuchi, Raphael O., a Master of Arts student in the Department of Philosophy, Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, with Registration number PG/MA/07/42992, has satisfactorily completed the requirements (Coursework and Dissertation), for the award of Master of Arts Degree (MA) in Philosophy. This Dissertation is original and has not been submitted in part or full for any other degree of this or any other university. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- Maduabuchi, Raphael O. Rev. Fr. Prof. Ben. Eboh (Candidate) (Supervisor) iv DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my beloved parents, brothers and sisters. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I appreciate all those who in one way or another assisted me during the course of my M.A. programme in Philosophy. My profound gratitude goes first to Almighty God for his love, grace, sustenance and wisdom granted to me through out my studies in Nsukka. I am indebted to my supervisor, Rev. Fr. Prof. B. O. Eboh who painstakingly supervised this work. His kind gestures, paternal solidarity and friendly disposition are very well appreciated. My gratitude is extended to Prof. J.C. Agbakoba, the Head of Department of Philosophy, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, under whose administration this work is completed. I am also indebted to all the lecturers in the department especially Rev. Fr. Dr. M.C. Chukwuelobe who supplied most of materials I used for my work. Others are: Prof. Egbeke Aja, Dr. Eneh, Dr. Areji, Dr. Anyaechie, Dr. Omeh, Dr.Asogwa and Dr. Anih. I thank in a special way my local ordinary Most Rev. Dr. Valerian Okeke who trained me and recommended this programme to me. I shall ever remain grateful to my parents Mr.& Mrs. M.C. Maduabuchi who sponsored my education to Master level. Also, I thank my brothers and sisters: Uchenna, Chudi, Ijeoma, Uju and Chinelo for their encouragements and supports. The memory of my good friends who helped me in the course of this programme would ever remain fresh in my heart. I appreciate my dear friend Emeka Metala for his criticism and emphasis on the vital points. In a special way I remember these people for their care and support: Rev. Frs Theo. Onoyima, Dr. Peter Akogu, Ben. Agbo, F.O. Njoku, Benedict Ozoemena, Julian Anaetoh, Richard Mary Umeike, Emeka Onwuama. Others are Bro. Chris. Madubata, Sr. Enukorah, Dr. Fabian Agudosy, Mr.& Mrs. Livinus Ozoeze Ezife, Mrs. Emeka Ifediba, Mrs. Meg Oliobi, Mr. Celestine Onuorah,, Mr. Victor Chime, Mr. Tony Ogbonna., Mr. Ifeanyi vi Okoye. Others are: Joseph Ikeanyi, Chuka Okoye, Emmanel Ibuot, Tony Ajah, Calistus Ekeh, Louis Amoke, Emeka Iloabachie, Vitalis Mbachu, Chibuike Ezeah, e.t.c Your kind gestures are deeply appreciated. In a special way, I thank the legionaries especially the members of my presidium Our Lady Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Presidium for their spiritual support as well as the members of the choir Nkrumah Basilica, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I extend my gratitude to Jacinta who sacrificed her time and energy to type this work. I appreciate the effort of Mr. Livinus Ezife who binds this work. May God bless them and fulfil all their heart desires. vii TABLE OF CONTENT Approval page - - - - - - - - - - i Certification - - - - - - - - - - ii Dedication - - - - - - - - - - iii Acknowledgement - - - - - - - - - v Abstract - - - - - - - - - - ix CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION - - - - - - - - - 1 1.1 Background of the Study - - - - - - - 1 1.2 The Statement of Problems - - - - - - - 2 1.3 The Purpose of Study - - - - - - - - 4 1.4 Scope of the Study - - - - - - - - 4 1.5 Significance of the Study - - - - - - - 4 1.6 Research Methodology - - - - - - - 5 1.7 Clarification of Terms - - - - - - - 5 CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW - - - - - - - 11 2.1 Review of Related Literatures - - - - - - 11 CHAPTER THREE ALBERT CAMUS ON SUICIDE - - - - - - - 24 3.1 Albert Camus’ Concept of Suicide - - - - - - 24 viii 3.2 The Ethics of Absurdity - - - - - - - 28 3.3 The Absurd Man and Creation - - - - - - 31 3.4 Albert Camus’ Conception of Death - - - - - - 34 3.5 The Critique of Albert Camus Ethics of Absurdity - - - - 34 CHAPTER FOUR THE CONCEPTION OF SUICIDE IN ALBERT CAMUS’CULTURAL MILIEU 41 4.1 Some Motives or Reasons for Suicide - - - - - 41 4.2 The Conception of Suicide in Traditional African World-view - - 46 4.3 The Conception of Suicide in Western Culture - - - - 49 4.4 Morality of Suicide - - - - - - - - 53 4.5 The Impact of Suicide on the Society - - - - - 56 CHAPTER FIVE THE RELEVANCE OF ALBERT CAMUS’ CONCEPT OF SUICIDE - 60 5.1 Reappraisal - - - - - - - - - 60 5.2 Evaluation - - - - - - - - - 62 5.2 Conclusion - - - - - - - - - 65 BIBLIOGRAPHY - - - - - - - - - 69 ix ABSTRACT Albert Camus’ ideology of suicide emanates from human experience of absurdity and metaphysical nihilism. From the frustration of the oppressive social order to the ravaging physical and of psychological effects of indifference of nature to mankind and fallible individual actions, the choice of taking one’s own life becomes clear to be impressed upon us by experience of absurdity or meaninglessness of existence and of human endeavour. This work seeks to clarify if there are justifications for this unpleasant human act. Is suicide real solution to the identified human problems or do they multiply them? Is suicide an end in itself or a means to an end? Is there a justification to this end? Our author, Albert Camus toes the existentialists’ line in his approach to the perennial problem of justifications of suicide. Briefly that since existence precedes essence; there are no sufficient reasons to necessitate the act of suicide. By way of critical analysis, It was discovered that the reasons employed for the act, and by implication, justification of suicide places them at par or even far above human life. Self-preservation is the first precept of natural law. The modern philosophical movement of existentialism admits of life as a supreme value. For this reason, this work is of the view that since the reasons for suicide cannot be commensurate with life itself, they must be dejected as ethically unacceptable. 10 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the Study Life is an absolute value- in a popular parlance, life is sweet. But some people in the society create conditions that make others feel so marginalized that they see themselves as complete failures. Certain situations and circumstances in life can make people feel so much crushed that they constrict their own world into a realm of absurd. Such traumatic experience of people living without hope can be seen in the life of victims of natural disaster and people living with incurable disease like HIV / AIDS. It can also manifest in all forms of personal misfortunes and miseries such as bereavement, loss of social status or hardship. Sometimes, the realities of life can make it so hard that the individual prefers to die than to live. Such a decision may be as a result of systematic and persistent life frustrations. The major factors that can precipitate depressing feeling include: the indifference of nature to human life (eg natural and catastrophic disaster as evident in the cases of volcano, hurricane, earthquake, war, flood, epidemics, drought, storm or famine), bereavement or divorce, childlessness, old age, fatal illness, oppression and injustice, meaninglessness of daily task and its monotonous routine These problems which we refer to as absurdity or the meaninglessness of the world are one of the central concerns of existentialists. It is the confrontation of human needs with the metaphysical nihilism of the universe. The conception of the world devoid of meaning is a familiar one. Absurdity arouses certain depressing feeling in man. A man bereft of meaning of his existence finds nothing other than contradiction and nonsense. The question of suicide arises where it presents us with illusory freedom from the absurdity or meaninglessness of our 11 existence; but in the end, it is an abdication of our responsibility to confront the absurdity head on. In the history of philosophy, an attempt to give meaning to human existence is prevalent in the ancient and medieval era where the dignity of human life is conceived in cultural and religious terms. Here, human life is subverted to some other worldly goals either in the sense of not of this world or of it but in some utopian future. Furthermore, the value of human life has been commercialized and abused by the dawn of nationalism and outbreak of scientific and technological revolution in the modern period. The recent discoveries of science and technology like atomic and nuclear weapons constitute a threat to human life. In genetic engineering, issues like human cloning, sterilization, in vitro fertilization, abortion, euthanasia and suicide reduce the dignity of human life. In this regard, human life is treated as a mere instrument, which can be manipulated anyhow at will. Nevertheless, Life is precious in the sense that it is the ultimate and highest value of human existence. The basic fundamental human right is right to life. Man can kill in the case of self defense to protect and preserve his/her life.
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