Human Value Analysis in Albert Camus Philosophy

Abstract

This research aimed to: 1) study human values from a philosophical perspective, 2) examine the concept of human values in the philosophy of Albert Camus, and 3) analyze and synthesize human values in Albert Camus’ philosophy. This study employed documentary research by collecting data from both primary and secondary sources. The data were analyzed descriptively using an inductive approach. The researcher examined major works of Albert Camus, including The Stranger, A Happy Death, The Fall, and the philosophical essay The Myth of Sisyphus, in order to explain the concept of absurdity and human values.
The findings revealed that:
1. Human values in philosophy are related to freedom, responsibility, rationality, and moral choice, emphasizing that human beings are capable of creating meaning in life through awareness and personal decision-making.
2. Human values in Albert Camus’ philosophy are reflected through the concept of Absurdity, which arises from the conflict between humanity’s search for meaning and a world that cannot provide definite answers. Camus proposed that although life has no inherent meaning, human beings are still able to live with freedom, dignity, and self-created values.
3. The analysis of human values in Albert Camus’ perspective consisted of five major aspects: 1. absurdity as a condition guiding human life, 2. freedom to choose and create values, 3. resistance against absurdity, 4. human existence, and 5. the search for meaning in life. Camus viewed that human beings can create meaning through their choices, actions, and persistence amidst the uncertainty of the world. Therefore, accepting absurdity is not a surrender to life, but an awareness of human freedom and dignity in creating one’s own values.