Quote by Albert Camus

Knowing whether or not man is free involves knowing whether he can have a master. The absurdity peculiar to this problem comes from the fact that the very notion that makes the problem of freedom possible also takes away all its meaning. For in the presence of God there is less a problem of freedom than a problem of evil. You know the alternative: either we are not free and God the all-powerful is responsible for evil. Or we are free and responsible but God is not all powerful. All the scholastic subtleties have neither added anything to nor subtracted anything from the acuteness of this paradox.

Knowing whether or not man is free involves knowing whether

Summary

This quote by Albert Camus explores the paradoxical nature of freedom and its relation to the existence of God. Camus suggests that the idea of human freedom is intertwined with the concept of whether or not man can have a master. However, this paradox arises from the fact that the belief in a higher power diminishes the significance of freedom and raises a problem of evil instead. The quote further presents the dilemma of either humans lacking freedom and God being accountable for evil, or humans being free and responsible but God not being omnipotent. In essence, Camus argues that the complexities of this paradox remain unsolved despite philosophical interpretations.

Topics

God Freedom Absurdism

By Albert Camus

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