Metodo

International Studies in Phenomenology and Philosophy

Series | Book | Chapter

211104

Neither victims nor executioners

Camus as public intellectual

John Foley

pp. 221-244

Abstract

As a public intellectual—a writer who engaged publicly with matters of public importance—Albert Camus made significant contributions to a wide range of critical public debates in post-war France. In this chapter, Foley examines Camus's attempt to introduce a moral vocabulary into the principal political debates of his time. Through an examination of Camus's on-going debates with Simone de Beauvoir, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and Jean Paul Sartre, and in particular Camus's career as an essayist and journalist, Foley argues that Camus's refusal to offer a philosophical justification for violence sets him apart from fellow writers on the Left at that time and also is indicative of his exemplary contribution as a public intellectual.

Publication details

Published in:

Fives Allyn, Breen Keith (2016) Philosophy and political engagement: reflection in the public sphere. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan.

Pages: 221-244

DOI: 10.1057/978-1-137-44587-2_12

Full citation:

Foley John (2016) „Neither victims nor executioners: Camus as public intellectual“, In: A. Fives & K. Breen (eds.), Philosophy and political engagement, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 221–244.