In 1942, during the German occupation of France, Albert Camus published Le Mythe de Sisyphe (The Myth of Sisyphus), a philosophical essay that opens with the declaration: "There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide." Camus argued that life has no inherent meaning — the universe is indifferent, and our search for purpose is met with silence. This is the "absurd." But rather than despair, Camus proposed revolt: we must embrace life fully despite its meaninglessness. The image of Sisyphus, condemned to roll a boulder uphill for eternity, becomes a symbol of human resilience. "One must imagine Sisyphus happy." The essay became a foundational text of absurdism and existentialist thought.
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