This is a paper that is focusing on the myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus topic discussion. The paper also provides other topics to choose for writing an assignment essay.
The myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus topic discussion
Choose one of the options for the essay:
1. Albert Camus’ “The Myth of Sisyphus” has nothing to do with climate change,
but it presents an interesting philosophy: in the face of an impossible (or near impossible) task, hope is irrelevant. It ultimately doesn’t matter if we have hope or not in accomplishing a goal (in Camus’ specific case, it was defeating Nazis during World War II) because meaning is in the doing. We don’t act, suggests Camus, because we hope to win, but because action gives our lives meaning. Thus the “absurd hero,” who works without stopping to accomplish something he or
she has no hope of accomplishing. For this essay, explain how Camus’ ideas may or may not be helpful or relevant when considering action to alleviate climate change.
The myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus topic discussion
2. Todd May, who currently teaches philosophy at Clemson University, wrote a book titled A Decent Life: Morality for the Rest of Us. In it, there’s a chapter in which he argues that we have a moral obligation towards people who are not even born yet, and thus we have to act now to protect the environment: not because it’s good for us,but because it’ll be good for people who are not even born yet and will not even be born for several years or decades. Do you agree with his view?
For this essay, first argue whether we do, in fact, have a moral obligation towards those in future generations. Then explain why your view affects your decision to take action (or not) to reduce the effects of climate change.
3.In October of 2018, the United Nations released a report from the world’s leading climate scientists warning that we (human beings) have only twelve years to dramatically slow the pace of climate change if we want to avoid environmental catastrophe: flooding of coastal cities, wildfires, violent storms and also weather extremes, extinction of many species, dwindling food supplies, uninhabitable land, etc. The problem is very serious and will require people around the globe to accept changes to their current lifestyle. For this essay, consider your part in this crisis. What are the ways in which your life contributes to greenhouse gases?
And what could you do to reduce your carbon footprint? What are you willing to do, and why? If you were to answer those three interrelated questions in a single carefully worded sentence, you would have a thesis for your paper, one that could even suggest a structure for your essay. (This topic comes courtesy of my colleague Dr. John Rietz.)
