What is one man to judge another? Either monarch or peasant, can any mortal really say whether someone is right or wrong in his ways? Man will always try to play God, and with justice we give it our best shot when we compile all of our brightest minds together to create laws and make verdicts. Even with these laws, the human race’s best attempt at justice, the French Nobel Prize winning author Albert Camus was still unimpressed. With his 1942 novella The Stranger, Camus shows readers why men judging other men is not justice. Camus’s protagonist Meursault firmly believes that he lives his life just the way that he wants, and that, even when a jury announces him guilty and a judge sentences him to death, no one can evaluate the quality of his life but himself. Though this is true, such self-interested attitudes leave little in the way of salvation for society as a whole. That is why real justice has no place in America’s courtrooms. Laws are set in place to conform to a large number of people, and therefore they are imperfect. Laws are set in place to generalize moral belief systems, and therefore they are imperfect. Laws are set in place by people, and therefore they are imperfect. One prime example of when the ideals of a law may not intersect with …show more content…
Albert Camus believed that the details of true justice are an internal affair, but if society wishes to remain organized it must ignore the introspective ideals of Camus and must focus on the physical world, because a shift in culture ] involving nothing but self-evaluation and self-implicated justice would reset humanity’s progress back towards the 13th century when the mighty Mongols ruled so much of a lawless Asia. Laws are essentially the world’s governments enforcing their beliefs onto it’s citizens and telling them how they are supposed to live their
...are confronted with the question of moral absolutes, we are forced to wonder when and to whom justice truly applies. Hopefully, we will look at our world and our ideas of right, wrong and retribution in different ways, ways that will enlighten and enrich our lives, and the those of the an audience of readers 2,000 years from now.
Throughout the novel, Camus presents the audience with one reason after another why Meursault should not, and in many cases cannot, be judged by "normal" standards. He also seems to say that no matter how mystifying or straightforward a person might be, there is no excuse for judging another human being. The question he finally presents to the reader is this: do we take his advice and abstain from judgment, or do we continue to judge others, often wrongly?
At no time, in this natural state, is injustice even possible. As Hobbes so concisely states, "Where there is no common Power, there is no Law: where no Law, no Injustice." (Hobbes 188) Essentially, since every man is entitled to everything, he is also at liberty to exert any means possible -- including violence -- in order to satisfy all of his wants and needs. In this State of War, each individu...
In Albert Camus’s The Stranger, Meursault, the protagonist, could be seen as immoral if he were judged on the basis of his actions alone. However, through Camus’s use of a first person narrative, we begin to understand Meursault as not an immoral man, but simply an indifferent one. Meursault is a symbol of the universe, and so in understanding him we understand that the universe is also not evil, but instead a place of gentle indifference.
Albert Camus’ The Stranger offers one man’s incite into the justice of society. Monsieur Meursault, the main protagonist in the novel, believes that morals and the concept of right and wrong possess no importance. This idea influences him to act distinctively in situations that require emotion and just decision, including feeling sadness over his mother’s death, the abuse of a woman, and his killing of an innocent man. In these situations Meursault apathetically devoids himself of all emotion and abstains from dealing with the reality in front of him. When confronted by the court over his murder, he reiterates his habitual motto on life that nothing matters anyways, so why care? His uncaring response inflames the people working within the
the laws of man and kept in check by society's own norms. The human struggle to
The trial and conviction of Meursault represents the main ideals of absurdism, that truth does not exist, and life is precious. The jury’s attempt to place a proper verdict on Meursault is compared to mankind’s futile attempt to find order in an irrational universe. Because there is no real truth in the trial, the verdict was unfair and illogical. Camus uses his beliefs of truth not existing and life being precious to point out the absurdity of the judicial system, and suggest the abolishment of the death penalty.
In Albert Camus’ absurdist novel, The Stranger, Meursault’s detachment from society and his killing of the Arab reveal moral and ethical implications for him and his society. As is common in many absurdist novels, Camus discusses the estrangement - and later development - of an individual in a benign and indifferent universe, one in which conformity prevails. Camus not only satirizes the conformity of society, but religion and the legal system as well. By writing in the first person (from the standpoint of Meursault), he draws in the reader, making the evils of society more prevalent.
There are three notable texts that depict societal law and order from three different points of view. These three texts include, Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, The Declaration of Independence, and A Vindication of the Rights of Women. While reading each of these, I noticed many similarities and differences among how these societies look alike and how the differ compared to one another. I think it is very important that we take a close look at the structure, purpose, and overall message of each of the texts to understand the deeper meaning behind what the author is trying to portray.
Choice and Individual Freedom in The Stranger Camus's The Stranger is a grim profession that choice and individual freedom are integral components of human nature, and the commitment and responsibility that accompany these elements are ultimately the deciding factors of the morality of one's existence. Meursault is placed in an indifferent world, a world that embraces absurdity and persecutes reason; such is the nature of existentialist belief, that rationalization and logic are ultimately the essence of humanity, and that societal premonitions and an irrelevant status quo serve only to perpetuate a false sense of truth. Meursault's virtue, as well as his undoing, lies in his unique tendency to choose, and thereby exist, without computing objective standards or universal sentiment. His stoic, de facto existentialism is a catalyst for endless conflict between his rationalization- and logic-based existence and that of others, which focuses on an objective subscription to "the norm" ; such is evident in heated discussions with the magistrate and prison minister, who are seen as paragons of invalid logic and the quixotic, quasi-passionate pursuit of hackneyed conformity. No windmills are slain1 in this simulated existence; absurdity of a different ilk dominates the popular mentality, one which would alienate a man based on his perceived indifference towards the mundane, and try, convict, and execute a man based on his lack of purported empathy towards the irrelevant.
The first component is the desire to reprimand a person who has done wrong upon them. Humans, like animals, have self-defense mechanism. However, unlike animals, humans are capable of sympathy. Humans have a wider range of emotions. Therefore the need they feel for punishment onto the person who did them wrong depends on the severity of the act according to the “victim.” This brings us to the second point that talks about how certain rights are protected by law therefore punishable by law enforcement. Society must defend itself against those who disobey their laws in the interest of general utility among its people. The conservation of justice and of just laws preserves harmony and well being among human beings. As a result there is a very big utility interest in preserving and enforcing justice 's commands. Each person’s happiness must be held to the same standard of importance in order for this system to work. A rich man’s rights in the justice system must be no more important than the rights of the poorest man. Justice is meant to provide the overall greatest happiness to human beings. It is looking at the greater picture rather than individual
Within two classical works of philosophical literature, notions of justice are presented plainly. Plato’s The Republic and Sophocles’ Antigone both address elements of death, tyranny and immorality, morality, and societal roles. These topics are important elements when addressing justice, whether in the societal representation or personal representation.
In Albert Camus’ novel, The Stranger, the protagonist Meursault is a character who has definite values and opinions concerning the society in which he lives. His self-inflicted alienation from society and all its habits and customs is clear throughout the book. The novel itself is an exercise in absurdity that challenges the reader to face the nagging questions concerning the meaning of human existence. Meursault is an existentialist character who views his life in an unemotional and noncommittal manner, which enhances his obvious opinion that in the end life is utterly meaningless.
Durkheim sees the role of law and punishment to be important for the solidarity of society as a whole. (Ibid., p81) Here, society has a...
Justice is the first virtue of Social institutions. Each person possesses an inviolability founded on justice that even the welfare of society as a whole cannot override. For this reason justice denies that the loss of freedom for some is made right by a greater good shared by others. It does not allow that sacrifices imposed on a few are outweighed by the larger sum of advantages enjoyed by many. (Rawls, 1971)