Religion and Meaning

between "The Myth of Sisyphus" and "In search of meaning

Abstract

Religion gives meaning to human existence. This statement is a kind of common ground among scientists of religion, philosophers who deal with religion and psychotherapists with an existential approach. However, authors such as Grondin (2012) recognize that outside the religious scope one can also make experiences of meaning. Among the various answers that can be given by religion and philosophy, there is the so-called current of absurdity, whose most efficient formulator and disseminator was Albert Camus, even though he was influenced by exponents such as Nietzsche, Kierkegaard and Sartre himself. Unlike Camus, who did not see any meaning in human existence but who did not therefore propose suicide, psychiatrist Viktor Frankl understood the crux of human life exactly as the search for meaning. This article aims to compare the thoughts of Camus and Frankl from their best-known essays on existence. “The myth of Sisyphus”, Camusian; and “In Search of Meaning”, by Frankl. Although Camus presents an individualistic understanding of meaning and the absence of meaning, his reflection is still expressive for today. On the other hand, Frankl shows openness to the influences that society exerts on the person. This perspective of Frankl, in line with the sociologists Berger and Luckmann, turns out to be broader than that of Camus.