Ted-ed: Is life meaningless? Flashcards
Mired(adj)
to be involved in a difficult situation, especially for a long period of time:
- His homeland of Algeria was mired in conflict between native Algerians
colonize (v)
to send people to live in and govern another country:
- colonizing French Europeans.
deem
to consider or judge something in a particular way:
-He lost his father in the First World War, and was deemed unfit to fight in the second.
tuberculosis
a serious infectious disease that can attack many parts of a person’s body, especially their lungs:
- Battling tuberculosis in France and confronting the war’s devastation
confront
deal with
- Battling tuberculosis in France and confronting the war’s devastation
devastation
damage and destruction:
- Battling tuberculosis in France and confronting the war’s devastation
resistance
the act of fighting against something that is attacking you, or refusing to accept something:
- as a resistance journalist, Camus grew despondent.
despondent
unhappy and with no hope or enthusiasm:
- as a resistance journalist, Camus grew despondent.
fathom
understand (a difficult problem or an enigmatic person) after much thought.
- He couldn’t fathom any meaning behind all this endless bloodshed and suffering.
contemporary
a person or thing living or existing at the same time as another.
- Many of Camus’ contemporaries were exploring similar questions
under the banner of something
used when stating the principle or belief that makes someone do something:
- under the banner of a new philosophy called existentialism.
existentialism
under the banner of a new philosophy called existentialism.
blank slate
humans are shaped entirely by their experiences and not by any preexisting biological mechanisms:
- Existentialists believed people were born as blank slates
amid
in the middle of or surrounded by:
- each responsible for creating their life’s meaning amidst a chaotic world.
arbitrary
based on chance rather than being planned or based on reason:
- One such goal was to seek out meaning despite the world’s arbitrary cruelty.
indifference
lack of interest in someone or something:
- Camus viewed humanity’s desire for meaning and the universe’s silent indifference
incompatible
not able to exist or work with another person or thing because of basic differences
absurd
stupid and unreasonable, or silly in a humorous way:
- and considered trying to fit them together to be fundamentally absurd.
tension
a feeling of nervousness before an important or difficult event:
- This tension became the heart of Camus’ Philosophy of the Absurd.
inherently
in a way that exists as a natural or basic part of something:
- which argued that life is inherently futile.
futile
having no effect or achieving nothing:
- which argued that life is inherently futile.
guiding question
the fundamental query that directs the search for understanding:
- became the guiding question behind Camus’ early work.
bleak
If a place is bleak, it is empty, and not welcoming or attractive:
- offers a rather bleak response.
detached
separated:
- “The Stranger” follows Meursault, an emotionally detached young man
remorse
a feeling of sadness and being sorry for something you have done:
- he even commits a violent crime — but Meaursault feels no remorse.
judgment
the ability to form valuable opinions and make good decisions:
- For him the world is pointless and moral judgment has no place in it.
hostility
an occasion when someone is unfriendly or shows that they do not like something:
- This attitude creates hostility between Meursault
inhabit
to live in a place:
- This attitude creates hostility between Meursault and the orderly society he inhabits.
alienation
the feeling that you have no connection with the people around you or that you are not part of a group:
- slowly increasing his alienation until the novel’s explosive climax.
explosive
exploding or able to explode easily:
- slowly increasing his alienation until the novel’s explosive climax.
climax
the most important or exciting point in a story or situation, especially when this happens near the end:
- slowly increasing his alienation until the novel’s explosive climax.
protagonist
one of the main characters in a story or a play:
spurn
to refuse to accept something or someone because you feel that thing or person is not worth having:
- Unlike his spurned protagonist, Camus was celebrated for his honest philosophy.
catapult
to become famous or important very suddenly, in the process moving beyond others who had been more famous or important:
- “The Stranger” catapulted him to fame, and Camus continued producing works
rational
based on clear thought and reason:
- is committing suicide the only rational response?
unjust
not fair:
- There may not be any explanation for our unjust world.
genuine
If something is genuine, it is real and exactly what it appears to be:
- but choosing to live regardless is the deepest expression of our genuine freedom.
condemned
A condemned person is someone who is going to be killed, especially as a punishment for having committed a very serious crime, such as murder:
- and was condemned to endlessly roll a boulder up a hill.
futility
the fact of having no effect or of achieving nothing:
The cruelty of his punishment lies in its singular futility
relentless
continuing in a severe or extreme way:
As Camus says, when the king chooses to begin his relentless task once more,
upend
to push or move something so that the part that usually touches the ground is not touching the ground any more:
- to upend systems they believed were depriving people of agency and purpose.
revolt
If a large number of people revolt, they refuse to be controlled or ruled, and take action against authority, often violent action::
- Camus responded with his second set of work: the cycle of revolt.
rebellion
violent action organized by a group of people who are trying to change the political system in their country:
- In “The Rebel,” he explored rebellion as a creative act,
ironically
in a way that is interesting, strange, or funny because of being very different from what you would expect:
- Ironically, it was this cycle of relatively peaceful ideas
resonate
to continue to have a powerful effect or value:
- his cycles of revolt and absurdity continue to resonate with readers today.
uncertainty
a situation in which something is not known, or something that is not known or certain:
- Today, Camus remains a trusted guide for moments of uncertainty.
defiantly
in a way that proudly refuses to obey authority:
imbue something/someone with something
to fill something or someone with a quality or feeling:
- his ideas defiantly imbuing a senseless world with inspiration
