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Is God Really Dead in Existentialist Belief?
By Caitlin Bould, Class of 2026
Editor’s Note: Essay on Albert Camus’ The Stranger (awarded a Scholastic Gold Key)
In The Outsider, by Albert Camus, the character of Meursault represents a personification of Camus’s own existential beliefs and is amoral at his core. Existentialist belief states clearly that “God is dead” and “life is ruled by chance,” asserting that it is trivial to observe an organized religion (Meyer). Some key examples of Existentialist Thought evident in the book include Universal Chaos, existing “without purpose or destiny,” and that “humankind can only find meaning in life through commitment (to a task or to a personal relationship)” (Meyer). Although Meursault is ostensibly an existentialist, his actions are continuously dictated by some all-consuming power rooted in religious values. The novel is rich in biblical allusions concerning Meursault and other characters. While morality is not always based on Christianity, it is a fundamental concept of faith. Meursault’s amoral belief of universal rationality contrasts the Christian beliefs represented in The Outsider as his ultimate fate.
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On the Topic of Trusting Moral Intuitions: An Assessment Using Existentialism
By Jeff Wang, Class of 2026
Editor’s Note: Essay written for the John Locke Essay Competition Philosophy Category (Awarded Very High Commendation)
All humans possess two types of intuition. Foremost, there are instinctive intuitions. These include tendencies like seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. They are present at birth and developed out of the evolutionary need for survival. The other type of intuition is learned. These are intuitions that individuals develop later in life as a result of their experiences. Knowing that moral intuitions belong to this second group of honed behavior raises the question of whether there exists merit in trusting them, given the subjectivity of their nature. Such an inquiry has generated much debate in philosophy, with proponents arguing for the authenticity of decisions made in this manner, and critics questioning the underlying biases and reliability of such a system. Amongst the many theses and dissertations surrounding this topic, existentialism provides a compelling answer to this question, contending that moral intuitions are only dependable in familiar circumstances, but that we should still seek to implement it in our daily
lives.
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