Por Robert J. Bonk, Ph.D. [1]
Albert Camus
When we hear the word “absurd”, we typically think of something irrational or impossible, something fully out of kilter with our own experiences and expectations. So to consider the field of medicine as “absurd” immediately strikes us as strange. What we need to remember, though, is that this word has a special denotation in philosophy—separate from connotations with which it is more often associated.
Absurdism, in philosophical terms, refers to a way of viewing our world as incomprehensible. It differs from the similar philosophy of existentialism. In the latter, the world has no meaning before or after our lives. That is, life has meaning (at least to us) only during our own lives; no divine being, inescapable fate, or heroic path exists. Thus, an existentialist like Jean-Paul Sartre sees life strictly in terms of his current existence—hence, existentialism.
The absurdist, however, takes the view of existentialism one step further. Albert Camus and other absurdists agree with existentialists to the extent that life has no meaning beyond our own existence. Importantly, however, Camus contends that acting as if life has meaning—despite thinking that it does not—is what gives our lives true meaning. Camus refers to the myth of Sisyphus, who was condemned to an eternity of pushing a heavy boulder up a hill, only to have it roll down each time; nevertheless, Sisyphus took up his burden anew. It is in this positive action despite a negative world that the absurdist finds meaning.
Regarding his novel The Plague (La Peste), Camus follows inhabitants of Oran, a coastal town in Algeria, during the unexpected arrival and inexplicable departure of a bubonic-like plague. Of particular note are the actions of individual residents who represent three different approaches to dealing with calamity: government, religion, and medicine. Dr. Bernard Rieux, the novel’s key protagonist, epitomizes Camus’ absurdism. Rieux epitomizes the human struggle of being trapped between contradictory inevitabilities. Never conceding defeat, Rieux struggles even when he doubts his ability to contend with this infection. Through his struggles, Rieux can be seen much like Sisyphus in taking up his burden despite the plague’s power.
Some view The Plague as an allegory for the Nazi invasion of France, since Camus published this novel in 1947. Certainly, this interpretation cannot be discounted. Nonetheless, a fresh look at medicine as an absurdist quest, particularly in our modern world of alien technology, can provide interesting insights into the physician’s calling. This article explores the quest of Dr. Rieux, as well as of all medicine, as a struggle against seemingly unbeatable foes of disease and pestilence, as the modern concomitants of technology and estrangement. Through such a reading, Camus’ novel takes on an entirely new existence.
[1] Robert J. Bonk, Ph.D • Widener University
rjbonk@widener.edu • www2.widener.edu/~rjbonk
Artículo original:
Bonk, R. (2010). Medicine as an Absurdist Quest in Albert Camus’ The Plague. Eä – Revista de Humanidades Médicas & Estudios Sociales de la Ciencia y la Tecnología, vol. 2 (1).
Texto completo disponible online en http://www.ea-journal.com/art2.1/Medicine-as-an-Absurdist-Quest.pdf