Camus, update the interpellation of the absurd: torture in Mexico

Abstract

The philosophical thought of Camus places the subject of life and its meaning at the center of any consideration relevant to human existence. Indeed, life and what makes it a valuable event occupies the understanding to respond to the facts that seem to reduce human existence to a disturbingly insignificant event. This is precisely what produces the experience of the absurd, whose behaviour involves a dehumanizing aspect that manages to be revealed through very specific events that alert and measure the scope of our understanding. In Camus, the reference to experiences such as the modern totalitarianism warn a peculiar way, and hitherto unknown, to force human life to a point where, in front of the absurdity of the facts, the thought is silenced. However, critical thought becomes more urgent, especially when we note that the psychology underlying these practices is reproduced in our time in other equally brutal and alarming ways, as is the case of systematic torture. In this sense, it is possible that Camus's criticism is as effective now as it was in his time, particularly when the practice of life involves a hostile aspect that at the same time examine our discernment and our ability to coexist.