by Albert Camus is a landmark of 20th-century existentialist thought. Published in 1942, it explores the "absurd"—the conflict between the human drive to find meaning and the "unreasonable silence" of a universe that offers none. Core Philosophy: The Absurd

Living in constant defiance of the meaningless world.

Camus argues that life is inherently meaningless, but this realization should not lead to despair or suicide. Instead, he proposes three responses to the absurd: