Read my mind D.P. - We are all students. I quit watching TV and mindless entertainment, long ago. I found I enjoy learning, and reality, far more. This, is head food. I’ve made it a point, to attend to my mind, daily.
"The real plague is our lives... Have a nice day!" That killed me lol. Seriously though, I know I'm late but thanks for doing these. I'm a teenager and although I've been questioning everything for a couple of years, I'm just now starting to really get into philosophy, and you make it easy to understand.
Hey Dr. Dodson, thanks for posting these lectures where they can be freely accessible to those who didn’t pay your university, it is truly a great service.
Professor Dodson do you happen to have handouts available for non students? I would love to follow along and it’d be a helpful tool for me to dive deeper into the text.
Great lecture 2. Thank you. I'm not one of your students but this is very, very good. Making the complex coherent and simple with great delivery is a talent.
Humans are not drawn to truth. We are drawn more to sugar evolutionary speaking. Sugar, sex, violence. Eat, reproduce, kill for more food to eat & fuck & kill & eat more. But if you take your vitamins with your sugar that is a sweet truth to learn. You will survive longer.
Your lectures help me fall asleep. I mean that in a good way. Not only are your lectures very interesting and thought provoking, but your voice is very soothing! Thank for putting these videos out there! You’re awesome!
Your lectures are really really nice. I understand this work better now. Even though our life is seemingly meaningless, you have definately helped me understand life's absurdity a little more:)
This description of repetition is the closest I’ve heard someone describe the sensation people that do psychedelics refer to as a “time loop” (not to be confused with a thought loop which is common in anxiety and depression). Not only do you become aware of your cycles of repetition but you FEEL that you’re just along for a ride that’s greater than you. Side note: if one finds themselves here the best thing to do imo is accept that we truly aren’t in control as much as we think and it’s okay to go with the cycles (life) and let go
Without the coronavirus pandemic and you being forced to record these videos, I might have and many others might have never really looked into these ideas deeper. And who knows what impact the spreading of these ideas might have at a collective level. I can't help but imagine some meaning in that!
Is there any way we can have access to the notes displayed on screen? You referred to them a number of times in this video but the print is too small to read.
Much as I admire Camus, I want to put in a good word for repetition. First of all, I think we can agree that brushing your teeth every morning is not nearly as bad as pushing a huge boulder up to the top of a mountain and then watching it roll all the way down again. What about having a drink, having sex, or watching your favourite TV program? If something is enjoyable, why not do it again? Second, repetition has many advantages. It gives pattern to your life, it gives you a solid framework within which you can weave your own variations. It isn’t true that weekends and holidays are repetitious rather than unique. You can go mountain climbing on one holiday and to a casino in Vegas the next time. Saying that each holiday is a repetition because you’ve done it before is a deliberately bleak and erroneous interpretation of life. Graduating from college and getting a job is, for most people a unique experience. It’s totally different from the move from elementary school to high school. In my native Britain, we don’t even call that “graduation” - the word is much too pompous. We just “leave.” Anyway, I’d like to tell Albert to cheer up - and would do so, had he not been killed in a totally absurd and meaningless traffic accident.
That's why he wrote "Each atom of that stone, each mineral flake of that night-filled mountain, in itself, forms a world. The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy". There are lots of people commit to suicide while having well-paid jobs, beautiful wives, big houses, and most importantly access to different kind of things that bring you joy and happiness. the answer is because they just "pushing the boulder" without giving it any essence, without embracing every step they took in their life. that's a outstanding analogy by camus!
Ah! a nice daily existential crisis to start a day , thanks Prof. Joking. Actually your lectures are really great, thanks for making effort putting it on internet for us to learn
Well, sometimes it's not such an easy think to awaken to life. But in my mind, it's always ultimately worth it. Anyhow... good luck with the adventure! Eric D.
@@EricDodsonLectures Thanks, I started following existentialism almost 3 years ago. It's kind of liberating knowing one can take any course in life. Your lectures are wonderful and awe-inspiring.
I thoroughly enjoy your lectures and if you normally don't record them, I count this as an 'on the plus side' of the quarantine!! This part 2 is exactly how I've felt (I'm 55) for as long as I can remember (similar to Carl Sagan's 'pale blue dot') EXCEPT that until recently, I hadn't considered it along with the 'Herculean' efforts I had a strong tendency toward... but didn't recognize the strength of my efforts until I saw people unravel during this political divide, trying SO hard to knock some sense in to anyone who wasn't for the most recent past President, or who was. Herculean in the intensity of their emotions (not in any effort to provide information that might enlighten an individual)... my anxiety and fear after the 2016 election was sky high until I turned everything off and researched things on CZcams, listened to podcasts and audiobooks, and read- and got out of the 'hurriedness' you discussed in first lecture and was reminded of something I'd once known... we are so insignificant, and because I don't handle routine well, chose a path that afforded me a multitude of ways to make a living that has sustained me to this day! That's a long comment for saying THANKS SO MUCH for these lectures and I wonder if you would continue to record and post them??? You can delay posting so students continue to show up, but what a great way to reach others!! You rock!
I am not a student either, but I came here after being humbled by the source text. I like to consider myself to be reasonably intelligent, but holy crap, that is some dense writing (or maybe it's me that's dense?). Either way, I appreciate your breaking it down into a much more easily understood summarization. Your students are lucky to have you. Give your wife our love!! And now to check out Nightwish!
Really appreciate these lectures, thank you. On the other hand, most people aren't aware of this condemnation, positive thinking or activities to keep you busy are used so this sisyphean cycle can continue, some people like me who realize the condemnation find it hard to go through circularity without losing my mind!!!
Your lectures gave me a well-rounded knowledge about Camus. I recently read The Outsider and i wanted to get into the details of his ideas and i just now realize that for me as well the circularity was the problem all along and will continue to be.
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful lectures. This series about Camus and his philosophy is excellent. I hold a Ph.D. in Depth Psychology and my practice can be defined as Existential Therapy. I wanted to follow your lecture with your notes but could not find them online. Could you please let me know how can I read them? Thanks again.
How much condemnation do you think we should exercise to find balance between good and evil and maybe not preferring one over the other coexistence equanimity but also develop agency... consciousness it’s a double edge sword thank you Eric I’m gonna watch all of these I want to come visit you you are doing great work...🦋🕊
You often refer to your "notes", which I assume are part of the enrolled course. I admit I'd love to be able to follow along with those notes :-) ... an aside, you look much better with the wild hair !!! Thank for your great lectures and especially your personal method of sharing these thoughts and ideas.
Brilliant illuminating thank you for this Eric Dodson! does anybody know in which video of this series and at what minute he goes and say - "oh but everybody needs some hope" and then "everyone on TV goes crazy buaa buaa buaa" or something like that, it made me laugh for days and I need it again!
It's not just that we want answers that the universe cannot give us; it's that we crave meaning and purpose in a universe that to all appearances has no such thing. It's like we don't belong here. We are cut from a different cloth.
You're welcome. If you're interested, here's another video I made (on my other channel), specifically on understanding suicide (link below). In any case, good luck and greetings from the U.S. Eric D. czcams.com/video/W69blQc6AuE/video.html
Really enjoy your lectures. Though I question whether all of us are really inclined to self aggrandizement as I think people are either inclined to have superiority (which is that) or inferiority complexes and those people wouldn't necessarily be self aggradizing. That's a side note tho
Just as animals lack a perception of reality, I wonder if we as humans lack some form of higher perception. Some of us seemingly lack the perception you describe in this lecture.
I've found the best treatment for someone in despair over the meaninglessness of ones life over the expanse of time is a firm smack to the face. Then when you raise your hand to hit them a second time and they cover their face. As them why they did so when the pain from the coming blow won't matter in a thousand years. It matters now and it matters to you. That's enough now go out and live.
Life is nonsense, who will still remember our existence 100 years later. The only one can do that is ourselves. Breaking the "absurdity7" by religion, give up or by your own hand. Creating your own value always is your own mission, never trust the meaning of your life is served for the others.
I can just imagine this mans' phone call with his wife in this section. - Honey did you take out the trash? - Well if you look around you'll see that taking out the trash is in a way a becoming of the myth of sysiphus where we perpetualy but absurdly carry and throw away what we don't need but there will always be something left to throw out. - So, that's a no then. - Yes, I forgot.
To just accept predetermined answers is philosophical suicide, is it the same or a different category of philosophical suicide to refuse to credit the question of meaning as meaningful. Is a nihilistic approach a different form of philosophical suicide or is it just a variation of the accepting a predetermined answer.
I wanted to find out camus' philosophy because I really like Sam beckett. I'm not familiar with philosophy but I feel though, that camus' thinking (as presented here) is limited by an assumption about reality being mainly physical and external to the self. His arguments about repetition and insignificance focus on comparing only physical outer manifestations (eg. brushing teeth, pandamics). But that's focussing on the mechanical, the form. You can go through the same physical motions but as a different person within, psychologically - if you perceive it differently, it's creates a different experience moment to moment. So whether you see it as repetition and insignificant, or not, is all relative to perspective. I really enjoy the absurdists' works but I think ultimately philosophies like camus' just remain a simple expression of distress and hopelessness in response to their times, and don't really progress our understanding of reality or our function in existence. I prefer the internal explorations of the sufi poets. Thank you for an interesting video :)
I'm not even a student, but I've really enjoyed these lectures
If you are listening to these lectures, you are a student. :)
@@DorothyPotterSnyder Nicely put :))
Same here. A mental health doctor in my case
Same, i am a computer science student
Read my mind D.P. - We are all students. I quit watching TV and mindless entertainment, long ago. I found I enjoy learning, and reality, far more. This, is head food. I’ve made it a point, to attend to my mind, daily.
"The real plague is our lives... Have a nice day!"
That killed me lol. Seriously though, I know I'm late but thanks for doing these. I'm a teenager and although I've been questioning everything for a couple of years, I'm just now starting to really get into philosophy, and you make it easy to understand.
How old are you? You're so lucky and smart to take advantage of CZcams! I wish this was available when I was a teenager!
Rewatching again and forgot to say - I love your shirt.
Well, thanks. Yeah, I'm a bit of a NW fanboy...
Hi, I'm Eric Dodson. You may remember me from such lectures as Albert Camus, Lecture 1.
Thank you!!!!!!!!
You're a good dude for doing these, philosophy has always been a massive interest for me
Hey Dr. Dodson, thanks for posting these lectures where they can be freely accessible to those who didn’t pay your university, it is truly a great service.
Professor Dodson do you happen to have handouts available for non students? I would love to follow along and it’d be a helpful tool for me to dive deeper into the text.
Any luck getting them?
He has great handouts, hahaha 😂
Same! I would also love to read them!
I’d love to follow along as well 😢
Appears they are hen's teeth 😅
I have read "The Myth of Sisyphus" twice. I am enjoying these lectures immensely. The pandemic is a perfect context for examining these ideas.
i love how you sound so cheerful while saying the most depressing things
As someone who never had a systematic education concerning philosophy, these lectures are priceless. Thank you.
Great lecture 2. Thank you. I'm not one of your students but this is very, very good. Making the complex coherent and simple with great delivery is a talent.
"Purely hypothetical example, use your imagination. Or better yet look around " 😂😂😂 I wish I had such professors in college. ❤
Excellent lecture delivered by professorial genius
Truth is bitter to swallow....I have through religious practices but when I find camus I can't ignore his point any more.
Humans are not drawn to truth. We are drawn more to sugar evolutionary speaking. Sugar, sex, violence. Eat, reproduce, kill for more food to eat & fuck & kill & eat more. But if you take your vitamins with your sugar that is a sweet truth to learn. You will survive longer.
Your lectures help me fall asleep. I mean that in a good way. Not only are your lectures very interesting and thought provoking, but your voice is very soothing! Thank for putting these videos out there! You’re awesome!
Thank you for the lecture. I just picked up a copy of Sisyphus and plan to be reading it soon.
Your lectures are really really nice. I understand this work better now. Even though our life is seemingly meaningless, you have definately helped me understand life's absurdity a little more:)
This description of repetition is the closest I’ve heard someone describe the sensation people that do psychedelics refer to as a “time loop” (not to be confused with a thought loop which is common in anxiety and depression). Not only do you become aware of your cycles of repetition but you FEEL that you’re just along for a ride that’s greater than you. Side note: if one finds themselves here the best thing to do imo is accept that we truly aren’t in control as much as we think and it’s okay to go with the cycles (life) and let go
I've never felt this on for a ride sensation, could you elaborate?
Without the coronavirus pandemic and you being forced to record these videos, I might have and many others might have never really looked into these ideas deeper. And who knows what impact the spreading of these ideas might have at a collective level. I can't help but imagine some meaning in that!
Cant believe I dont have to pay for this. Thank you
Is there any way we can have access to the notes displayed on screen? You referred to them a number of times in this video but the print is too small to read.
Much as I admire Camus, I want to put in a good word for repetition. First of all, I think we can agree that brushing your teeth every morning is not nearly as bad as pushing a huge boulder up to the top of a mountain and then watching it roll all the way down again. What about having a drink, having sex, or watching your favourite TV program? If something is enjoyable, why not do it again? Second, repetition has many advantages. It gives pattern to your life, it gives you a solid framework within which you can weave your own variations. It isn’t true that weekends and holidays are repetitious rather than unique. You can go mountain climbing on one holiday and to a casino in Vegas the next time. Saying that each holiday is a repetition because you’ve done it before is a deliberately bleak and erroneous interpretation of life. Graduating from college and getting a job is, for most people a unique experience. It’s totally different from the move from elementary school to high school. In my native Britain, we don’t even call that “graduation” - the word is much too pompous. We just “leave.” Anyway, I’d like to tell Albert to cheer up - and would do so, had he not been killed in a totally absurd and meaningless traffic accident.
That's why he wrote "Each atom of that stone, each mineral flake of that night-filled mountain, in itself, forms a world. The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy". There are lots of people commit to suicide while having well-paid jobs, beautiful wives, big houses, and most importantly access to different kind of things that bring you joy and happiness. the answer is because they just "pushing the boulder" without giving it any essence, without embracing every step they took in their life. that's a outstanding analogy by camus!
@@rayhankhalid9877 Bravo, great comment - I will seek to embrace the stone.
Ah! a nice daily existential crisis to start a day , thanks Prof.
Joking. Actually your lectures are really great, thanks for making effort putting it on internet for us to learn
These vids will still be watched 100 plus years from now.
I had an actual existential crisis after your first lecture. Pretty hard to not end myself rn. Thanks
Well, sometimes it's not such an easy think to awaken to life. But in my mind, it's always ultimately worth it. Anyhow... good luck with the adventure! Eric D.
@@EricDodsonLectures Thanks, I started following existentialism almost 3 years ago. It's kind of liberating knowing one can take any course in life.
Your lectures are wonderful and awe-inspiring.
Is nice to have a professor I like philosophy but i couldn't go to college or other places to study this guy is awesome
I have enjoyed your lectures very much. Thank you, Professor Dodson.
19:56 Grinning. You remind me of Vonnegut, Eric. These lectures have been absurdly good.
Thank you so much for putting this out there!
what an absolute gem, thank you for existing
So happy I found this channel. Great lecture!
I'm loving these lectures. Thank you.
Thank you so much. I love this series.
These lectures are great, thank you.
Yano, you have so many good points, really made me think about a lot
These are great thank you for the content
Fantastic shirt. Loved Nightwish.
Such a good lecture!! Thanks a lot from Alagoas, Brazil!
Thank you! This is very well explained and useful. Much appreciated!
So gratifying to see philosophy is still being taught. And so well!!!
Very cool lectures. Thank you!
Love Camus. The great waker-upper. These talks are swell.
Thank you sir for posting these lectures , it's a great help .
Thank you for the lectures Dr. Dodson. Very informative and helpful
Thank you so much for these lectures! Not a student, but found these incredibly interesting.
I thoroughly enjoy your lectures and if you normally don't record them, I count this as an 'on the plus side' of the quarantine!! This part 2 is exactly how I've felt (I'm 55) for as long as I can remember (similar to Carl Sagan's 'pale blue dot') EXCEPT that until recently, I hadn't considered it along with the 'Herculean' efforts I had a strong tendency toward... but didn't recognize the strength of my efforts until I saw people unravel during this political divide, trying SO hard to knock some sense in to anyone who wasn't for the most recent past President, or who was. Herculean in the intensity of their emotions (not in any effort to provide information that might enlighten an individual)... my anxiety and fear after the 2016 election was sky high until I turned everything off and researched things on CZcams, listened to podcasts and audiobooks, and read- and got out of the 'hurriedness' you discussed in first lecture and was reminded of something I'd once known... we are so insignificant, and because I don't handle routine well, chose a path that afforded me a multitude of ways to make a living that has sustained me to this day! That's a long comment for saying THANKS SO MUCH for these lectures and I wonder if you would continue to record and post them??? You can delay posting so students continue to show up, but what a great way to reach others!! You rock!
You are really fantastic.
Thank you immensely for uploading these, i always revisit these and they motivate me so much. Thank you for making these accessible!!
Thank you for wonderful lectures😊
Good quality lecture....
Not even a student but voting for a podcast
Thanks so much for this, what ur doing is great
I am not a student either, but I came here after being humbled by the source text. I like to consider myself to be reasonably intelligent, but holy crap, that is some dense writing (or maybe it's me that's dense?). Either way, I appreciate your breaking it down into a much more easily understood summarization. Your students are lucky to have you. Give your wife our love!! And now to check out Nightwish!
Loving this lectures before going to be
Really appreciate these lectures, thank you. On the other hand, most people aren't aware of this condemnation, positive thinking or activities to keep you busy are used so this sisyphean cycle can continue, some people like me who realize the condemnation find it hard to go through circularity without losing my mind!!!
You are so franky during the video and it's awesome 😁
my first non-fiction philosophical reading and these lectures really help with understanding the text.. thanks
Very very helpful in understanding Calmu and the problem of absurdity.
thank you for these lectures
Your lectures gave me a well-rounded knowledge about Camus. I recently read The Outsider and i wanted to get into the details of his ideas and i just now realize that for me as well the circularity was the problem all along and will continue to be.
I’ve enjoyed these lectures, and I’m not even a student. What a great privilege!
Thank you for this .
I study economics at different university, but I do appretiate you lectures. I enjoy philosophi.
Man! He is the cool lecturer I ever saw
Thank you so much.
Thanks Erik. I agree. Live is far more interesting as a misterious huge happening... And small at the same time
I'm a business major with a psychology minor, graduating in May 2021. This is part of my self-directed minor in philosophy. Thank you! 🤔 🎓
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful lectures. This series about Camus and his philosophy is excellent. I hold a Ph.D. in Depth Psychology and my practice can be defined as Existential Therapy. I wanted to follow your lecture with your notes but could not find them online. Could you please let me know how can I read them? Thanks again.
How much condemnation do you think we should exercise to find balance between good and evil and maybe not preferring one over the other coexistence equanimity but also develop agency... consciousness it’s a double edge sword thank you Eric I’m gonna watch all of these I want to come visit you you are doing great work...🦋🕊
You often refer to your "notes", which I assume are part of the enrolled course. I admit I'd love to be able to follow along with those notes :-) ... an aside, you look much better with the wild hair !!! Thank for your great lectures and especially your personal method of sharing these thoughts and ideas.
Brilliant illuminating thank you for this Eric Dodson! does anybody know in which video of this series and at what minute he goes and say - "oh but everybody needs some hope" and then "everyone on TV goes crazy buaa buaa buaa" or something like that, it made me laugh for days and I need it again!
so it is actually in Lecture 3, minute 8, if anybody want to check it ! hilarious, humor is a proper way to defy The Absurd...
This guy is great
Have been a fan of Camus since I was at HighSchool
and by the way: I like your longer hair😂
It's not just that we want answers that the universe cannot give us; it's that we crave meaning and purpose in a universe that to all appearances has no such thing. It's like we don't belong here. We are cut from a different cloth.
Up until I completed my undergraduate studies. It felt all spiral, there was (false) sense of growing. Thereafter it has become more of circular.
love your lectures and your hair, can't say the same for the hat.
Thank you
Thanks for sharing these lectures. I will recommend it to my students. We have a research group on suicide.
You're welcome. If you're interested, here's another video I made (on my other channel), specifically on understanding suicide (link below). In any case, good luck and greetings from the U.S. Eric D.
czcams.com/video/W69blQc6AuE/video.html
@@EricDodsonLectures Fine, I'll watch it.
Thanks greetings from Germany ❤️
I wonder why you are not posting videos anymore.. professor I just hope you are fine.. i will be so relieved if u start posting ur lectures again.
The last sentence killed me😂
Really enjoy your lectures. Though I question whether all of us are really inclined to self aggrandizement as I think people are either inclined to have superiority (which is that) or inferiority complexes and those people wouldn't necessarily be self aggradizing. That's a side note tho
Good for society
Just as animals lack a perception of reality, I wonder if we as humans lack some form of higher perception. Some of us seemingly lack the perception you describe in this lecture.
I've found the best treatment for someone in despair over the meaninglessness of ones life over the expanse of time is a firm smack to the face. Then when you raise your hand to hit them a second time and they cover their face. As them why they did so when the pain from the coming blow won't matter in a thousand years.
It matters now and it matters to you. That's enough now go out and live.
Does anyone know if does he have a podcast or anything out of youtube? I would love to find a podcast
Life is nonsense, who will still remember our existence 100 years later. The only one can do that is ourselves. Breaking the "absurdity7" by religion, give up or by your own hand. Creating your own value always is your own mission, never trust the meaning of your life is served for the others.
legendary ending
You have legendary lips
I would be interested in the notes as well.
Hi, I´m not your student but I loved the video. Thank you!
I can just imagine this mans' phone call with his wife in this section.
- Honey did you take out the trash?
- Well if you look around you'll see that taking out the trash is in a way a becoming of the myth of sysiphus where we perpetualy but absurdly carry and throw away what we don't need but there will always be something left to throw out.
- So, that's a no then.
- Yes, I forgot.
To just accept predetermined answers is philosophical suicide, is it the same or a different category of philosophical suicide to refuse to credit the question of meaning as meaningful. Is a nihilistic approach a different form of philosophical suicide or is it just a variation of the accepting a predetermined answer.
In a sense, every living thing is the center of their universe.
Where do I find all the notes an pictures you put up?
Someone knows where can I find this document?
this was really interesting but did he just take the call on the phone case instead of the phone
I’m enjoying these lectures but didn’t feel the need to comment until I noticed that rad Nightwish t-shirt.
I wanted to find out camus' philosophy because I really like Sam beckett. I'm not familiar with philosophy but I feel though, that camus' thinking (as presented here) is limited by an assumption about reality being mainly physical and external to the self. His arguments about repetition and insignificance focus on comparing only physical outer manifestations (eg. brushing teeth, pandamics). But that's focussing on the mechanical, the form. You can go through the same physical motions but as a different person within, psychologically - if you perceive it differently, it's creates a different experience moment to moment. So whether you see it as repetition and insignificant, or not, is all relative to perspective. I really enjoy the absurdists' works but I think ultimately philosophies like camus' just remain a simple expression of distress and hopelessness in response to their times, and don't really progress our understanding of reality or our function in existence. I prefer the internal explorations of the sufi poets. Thank you for an interesting video :)
can someone tell me the name of the book the notes in the video are referencing? (Not talking about 'The Myth of Sisyphus')
I think he mentioned the title in the first video in the Camus lecture series. If I heard correctly, it is "Rediscovery of Awe," by Kurt Schneider
How many toothbrushes does this guy go thru? 😂
Great stuff, thanks for posting this!