## Episode #170 ... Albert Camus - The Fall ### Episode #170 ... Albert Camus - The Fall  #### Metadata * Author: [[Philosophize This!]] * Full Title: Episode #170 ... Albert Camus - The Fall * Category: #podcasts * URL: <https://share.snipd.com/episode/e968aebe-2e68-4824-a672-8cbc8719a7e3> #### Highlights * The Biggest Obstacle to Finding Meaning in Life Transcript: Speaker 1 That's certainly something we've considered this. We've talked about Beauvoir, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Becker, Chiron, and all the rest of them. But something Camus in particular is going to warn us about in this book. Dare I say better than all the others are the pitfalls of self-deception? In other words, you can have the greatest plan in the world, right? You can come up with a dynamic, pluralistic value system that represents exactly who you want to be and you can be religiously committed to carrying it out. But if at the end of that process you're just kidding yourself, if you're just playing some psychological game ([Time 0:02:25](https://share.snipd.com/snip/4074ad2a-24b4-43d7-934d-246766fec3e6)) * The Fall of Humanity Transcript: Speaker 1 At the end of that process you're just kidding yourself, if you're just playing some psychological game that allows you to never take responsibility for your values for more than just a couple days, the biggest obstacle to their being lasting meaning in your life could actually be you. So with that said, The Fall is the book we're going to be talking about today. The actual title of the book, The Fall, is a reference to the fall of humanity in the Garden of Eden. We all know the story. Adam and Eve, God tells them not to eat the fruit. They have a conversation with the nice snake gentlemen in the garden one day. ([Time 0:02:52](https://share.snipd.com/snip/39d94f14-1f67-4766-bf5b-97d8a902aeeb)) * The Fall of Clemence Transcript: Speaker 1 He starts out the book telling the person next to him about the man that he used to be. He tells this person that before the fall, not too long ago, Clomont's used to live in the city of Paris. He was a successful trial lawyer. He was so successful at being a lawyer that he chose all the cases that he took on because there was some sort of charitable angle to them. He would defend widows. He would defend orphans. He would defend people accused of crimes that couldn't otherwise afford a good criminal defense. Seems like a nice enough guy. Then outside of his job, he was seemingly an even better person. ([Time 0:06:36](https://share.snipd.com/snip/0fd082cc-d3be-467c-a49e-0ac700c75bcd)) * Clever Guy Transcript: Speaker 1 He would defend widows. He would defend orphans. He would defend people accused of crimes that couldn't otherwise afford a good criminal defense. Seems like a nice enough guy. Then outside of his job, he was seemingly an even better person. He lived in a high-rise loft above the city. He dressed well. He was charming. He was successful in his love life given his own interpretation of that. He was the kind of guy that would offer up his seat on the bus if someone was standing. He was the kind of guy that would stop and give people directions if they were lost. He ([Time 0:06:56](https://share.snipd.com/snip/b80e3c43-555a-4d77-9c64-4fd22f3fb457)) * Clement, a Charitable, Successful Lawyer Transcript: Speaker 1 Foundation than just keeping up outward appearances. Because as Clamonts says later on in the book, looking back on the way he acted every day as a lawyer in Paris in retrospect, he was a total fraud. He says one way he knows he was a fraud is because this one time he was helping a blind dude cross the street. And then after the blind guy was safe on the other side, as Clamonts is walking away from him, he tips his hat to the man as a token of respect. But I mean, the guy is blind. Why would I do that? He says. Why would I tip my hat if it wasn't some sort of performance ([Time 0:08:43](https://share.snipd.com/snip/080033dd-c5ce-44ea-b05e-36773f629dbf)) * Why Would I Tip My Hat if It Wasn't Some Performance? Transcript: Speaker 1 I was putting on for all the other people watching? And this goes with giving up his seat on the bus. This goes with the cases he chooses as a lawyer. All of this has nothing to do with some moral code that he's living by and everything to do with feeling superior to others around him. This is the kind of guy in modern society that has a conversation with someone who clearly knows less than he does about whatever it is. And he feels the need to subtly make them aware of just how inferior they are to him in that area, needing that validation from everyone. On top of that, he's a smart guy. So he understands perfectly well which values the society around him appreciates and expects of people. And if asked for the values that mean the most to him, he ([Time 0:09:10](https://share.snipd.com/snip/6605f80e-b153-413f-a603-53df2548ce0e)) * Why Would I Tip My Hat if It Wasn't Some Performance? Transcript: Speaker 1 Which values the society around him appreciates and expects of people. And if asked for the values that mean the most to him, he could easily come up with a list of the values that he's emulating. But the truth is, if anything were to ever come along in his life and test any one of these values, he would absolutely crumble. None of these values people see in him from the outside would hold up because he doesn't really care about any one of them. He's just putting on a performance so that he looks superior to others. And it is this moral bankruptcy that would lead to his eventual fall. Camus uses symbolism in the book to accent this fall. It's a ([Time 0:09:38](https://share.snipd.com/snip/13b6fafa-467a-4b9f-8f22-f25a113aaa69)) * The Dude on the Bike Transcript: Speaker 1 Guy that goes throughout his daily life and truly believes that nobody talks bad about him behind his back. That he's always on the right side of the argument, that nobody sees through his charm. This is the kind of guy that would probably sit around and fantasize about road rage situations like this and all the cool stuff he would do. Imagine in all the things the dude on the bike would have said to him, oh, and then he'd be like Socrates, just dressing him down in front of the crowd. Everyone's laughing. Imagine in the dude trying to sneak up behind him. That whole classic, what I would have done if I was there mentality, I would have seen the guy coming. I got great peripheral vision on my grandfather's side of the family. I would have seen him ([Time 0:11:21](https://share.snipd.com/snip/95e25707-74c6-43b8-9d9c-c83e142e15f7)) * The Reverse Baptism Transcript: Speaker 1 You can truly be one of the most detestable people that's ever lived in the history of the world. And then someone dunks you into six inches of water in an above-ground pool in the attic of a Baptist church somewhere. And you're good now, buddy. You're in. You found the loophole in the system, I guess. But in the case of Clamonts, once again, he's living in a delusional place of innocence. He thinks he's the greatest person ever. So when he gets sucker-punched and quite literally is smacked across the face with the reality of who he truly is, it illuminates weakness. It illuminates evil, sin, a lack of integrity. This event ([Time 0:14:03](https://share.snipd.com/snip/48c966f5-4ea9-48fe-9d94-fc3a7e1cadd6)) * The Reverse Baptism Transcript: Speaker 1 In. You found the loophole in the system, I guess. But in the case of Clamonts, once again, he's living in a delusional place of innocence. He thinks he's the greatest person ever. So when he gets sucker-punched and quite literally is smacked across the face with the reality of who he truly is, it illuminates weakness. It illuminates evil, sin, a lack of integrity. This event in his life acts as a reverse baptism for someone like this. And you can see this just as clearly in the second event that leads to his fall. Because ([Time 0:14:16](https://share.snipd.com/snip/81a03549-bace-4d64-b484-296bbc2dc91b)) * Clemente's Paradigm Shifting Moment Transcript: Speaker 1 Clamonts, this is something he's never really had to consider in the safe bubble that he formerly lived in. Remember, as a lawyer in Paris, he was never the judge or the one accused of the crime. He was always able to play the middle ground there. And in the everyday world, he figured everyone just agreed that he was this remarkable, exceptional person just like he thought he was. Once he realizes, though, that he is not, in fact, God's gift to humanity, and how vulnerable he is to the constant judgment of others, this leads to a paradigm-shifting moment in Clamonts' life. ([Time 0:16:57](https://share.snipd.com/snip/c5c1afd4-d9b4-4741-9859-0d816b182199)) * Don't Worry About That Person Transcript: Speaker 1 Going to go home to their miserable life and complain all day to their mother who they still live with. Don't worry about it. This is the service that friends provide in the Isaclamons. Regardless of the fact that your friend wasn't there, has only heard your side of the story and isn't exactly an impartial jury rendering a verdict here. Despite all this, you still for some reason want them to tell you that you were right, this other person is wrong, and that even if this random stranger judged you, the jury of your peers finds you. And if you expand this example to ([Time 0:19:46](https://share.snipd.com/snip/45740590-fe89-461b-8dab-935285f697f6)) * What Your Friends Want From You Transcript: Speaker 1 There, has only heard your side of the story and isn't exactly an impartial jury rendering a verdict here. Despite all this, you still for some reason want them to tell you that you were right, this other person is wrong, and that even if this random stranger judged you, the jury of your peers finds you. And if you expand this example to everything you tell your friends about, relationships, career choices, fears, dreams, you can see how if you indulge in this sympathy service that friends provide for you too much, your friends will allow you to keep yourself the same person, making the same mistakes over and over and over again. Clomont ([Time 0:19:59](https://share.snipd.com/snip/dab28d80-6cb2-4704-b2cb-ca88cbf4c4db)) * What Your Friends Want From You Transcript: Speaker 1 Everything you tell your friends about, relationships, career choices, fears, dreams, you can see how if you indulge in this sympathy service that friends provide for you too much, your friends will allow you to keep yourself the same person, making the same mistakes over and over and over again. Clomont says, despite what they say, this service is actually what your friends want from you. Camus says, this is symptomatic of what he calls a sort of modern amnesia, where we're able to conveniently forget about all the mistakes we make in our lives and just move on as though nothing has really happened. We've all met somebody like this before. You know, ([Time 0:20:17](https://share.snipd.com/snip/19b4a377-2b9e-4c14-89cf-df773f4bba0c)) # Episode #170 ... Albert Camus - The Fall  ## Metadata - Author: [[Philosophize This!]] - Full Title: Episode #170 ... Albert Camus - The Fall - Category: #podcasts - URL: https://share.snipd.com/episode/e968aebe-2e68-4824-a672-8cbc8719a7e3 ## Highlights - The Biggest Obstacle to Finding Meaning in Life Summary: Camo warns us about the pitfalls of self deception. In other words, you can have the greatest plan in the world, right? You can come up with a dynamic, pluralistic value system that represents exactly who you want to be. And you can be religiously committed to carrying it out. But if at the end of that process you're just kidding yourself, if you’re just playing some psychological tricks on your own heart and mind - then you've done something wrong. That's what camo is going to warn us about." Transcript: Speaker 1 That's certainly something we've considered this. We've talked about Beauvoir, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Becker, Chiron, and all the rest of them. But something Camus in particular is going to warn us about in this book. Dare I say better than all the others are the pitfalls of self-deception? In other words, you can have the greatest plan in the world, right? You can come up with a dynamic, pluralistic value system that represents exactly who you want to be and you can be religiously committed to carrying it out. But if at the end of that process you're just kidding yourself, if you're just playing some psychological game ([Time 0:02:25](https://share.snipd.com/snip/4074ad2a-24b4-43d7-934d-246766fec3e6)) - The Fall of Humanity Summary: The biggest obstacle to there being lasting meaning in your life could actually be you. The actual title of the book, the fall, is a reference to the fall of humanity in the garden of eden. We all know the story, adam and eve. God tells em not to eat the fruita they have a conversation with the nice snake gentleman in the garden. So what that said? The fall, is the book we're going to be talking about to day. But if at the end of that process you're just kidding yourself, if you're just playing some psychological game that allows you to never take responsibility for your values for more than just a couple of days, then it's time Transcript: Speaker 1 At the end of that process you're just kidding yourself, if you're just playing some psychological game that allows you to never take responsibility for your values for more than just a couple days, the biggest obstacle to their being lasting meaning in your life could actually be you. So with that said, The Fall is the book we're going to be talking about today. The actual title of the book, The Fall, is a reference to the fall of humanity in the Garden of Eden. We all know the story. Adam and Eve, God tells them not to eat the fruit. They have a conversation with the nice snake gentlemen in the garden one day. ([Time 0:02:52](https://share.snipd.com/snip/39d94f14-1f67-4766-bf5b-97d8a902aeeb)) - The Fall of Clemence Summary: Clemence used to be a successful trial lawyer. He chose all the cases that he took on because there was some sort of chariable angle to them. Seems like a nice enough guy. Then outside of his job, he was seemingly an even better person. The book is published by Simon & Schuster at £16.99. Transcript: Speaker 1 He starts out the book telling the person next to him about the man that he used to be. He tells this person that before the fall, not too long ago, Clomont's used to live in the city of Paris. He was a successful trial lawyer. He was so successful at being a lawyer that he chose all the cases that he took on because there was some sort of charitable angle to them. He would defend widows. He would defend orphans. He would defend people accused of crimes that couldn't otherwise afford a good criminal defense. Seems like a nice enough guy. Then outside of his job, he was seemingly an even better person. ([Time 0:06:36](https://share.snipd.com/snip/0fd082cc-d3be-467c-a49e-0ac700c75bcd)) - Clever Guy Summary: He would defend widows. He would defend orphans. He would defend people accused of crimes that couldn't otherwise afford a good criminal defence. Seems like a nice enough guy. Then outside of his job, he was seemingly an even better person. He lived in a high rise loft above the city. He dressed well. He was charming. He was successful in his love life, given his own interpretation of that. He was the kind of guy that would offer up his sea on the bus if some one was standing he was the kind of guy that would stop and give people directions if they were lost. Transcript: Speaker 1 He would defend widows. He would defend orphans. He would defend people accused of crimes that couldn't otherwise afford a good criminal defense. Seems like a nice enough guy. Then outside of his job, he was seemingly an even better person. He lived in a high-rise loft above the city. He dressed well. He was charming. He was successful in his love life given his own interpretation of that. He was the kind of guy that would offer up his seat on the bus if someone was standing. He was the kind of guy that would stop and give people directions if they were lost. He ([Time 0:06:56](https://share.snipd.com/snip/b80e3c43-555a-4d77-9c64-4fd22f3fb457)) - Clement, a Charitable, Successful Lawyer Summary: He says, one way he knows he was a fraud is cause this one time he was helping a blinddude cross the street. And then, after the blind guy was safe on the other side, as clemence is walking away from him, he tips his hat to the man as a token of respect. But i mean, the guy's blind. Why would i do that? He says, why would i tip my hat if it wasn't some sort of performance i was putting on for all the other people watching? And this goes with giving up his seat on the bus. This goes with the cases he chooses as a lawyer. Transcript: Speaker 1 Foundation than just keeping up outward appearances. Because as Clamonts says later on in the book, looking back on the way he acted every day as a lawyer in Paris in retrospect, he was a total fraud. He says one way he knows he was a fraud is because this one time he was helping a blind dude cross the street. And then after the blind guy was safe on the other side, as Clamonts is walking away from him, he tips his hat to the man as a token of respect. But I mean, the guy is blind. Why would I do that? He says. Why would I tip my hat if it wasn't some sort of performance ([Time 0:08:43](https://share.snipd.com/snip/080033dd-c5ce-44ea-b05e-36773f629dbf)) - Why Would I Tip My Hat if It Wasn't Some Performance? Summary: This is the kind of guy in modern society that has a conversation with some one who clearly knows less than he does about whatever it is. He feels the need to subtly make them aware of just how inferior they are to him in that area, needing that validation from everyone. On top of that, he's a smart guy, so he understands perfectly well which values the society around him appreciates and expects of people. But if asked for the values that mean the most to him, he could easily come up with a list of the values that he's emulating. Transcript: Speaker 1 I was putting on for all the other people watching? And this goes with giving up his seat on the bus. This goes with the cases he chooses as a lawyer. All of this has nothing to do with some moral code that he's living by and everything to do with feeling superior to others around him. This is the kind of guy in modern society that has a conversation with someone who clearly knows less than he does about whatever it is. And he feels the need to subtly make them aware of just how inferior they are to him in that area, needing that validation from everyone. On top of that, he's a smart guy. So he understands perfectly well which values the society around him appreciates and expects of people. And if asked for the values that mean the most to him, he ([Time 0:09:10](https://share.snipd.com/snip/6605f80e-b153-413f-a603-53df2548ce0e)) - Why Would I Tip My Hat if It Wasn't Some Performance? Summary: "If anything were to ever come along in his life and test any one of these values, he would absolutely crumble. None of these values people see in him from the outside would hold up," she says. "He's just putting on a performance so that he looks superior to others." Transcript: Speaker 1 Which values the society around him appreciates and expects of people. And if asked for the values that mean the most to him, he could easily come up with a list of the values that he's emulating. But the truth is, if anything were to ever come along in his life and test any one of these values, he would absolutely crumble. None of these values people see in him from the outside would hold up because he doesn't really care about any one of them. He's just putting on a performance so that he looks superior to others. And it is this moral bankruptcy that would lead to his eventual fall. Camus uses symbolism in the book to accent this fall. It's a ([Time 0:09:38](https://share.snipd.com/snip/13b6fafa-467a-4b9f-8f22-f25a113aaa69)) - The Dude on the Bike Summary: This is a guy that goes throughout his daily life and truly believes that nobody talks bad about him behind his back. He's the kind of guy that would probably sit around and fantasize about road rage situations like this, imagining all the things the dude on the bike would ha said to him. Oh, and then he'd be like socrates, just dressing hem down in front of the crowd. Everyone's laughing, imagining the dew trying to sneak up behind him, that whole classic. What i would ha done if i was there, mentality, i would hae seen the guy coming. I got a great peripheral vision on my grandfather's side of the family. Transcript: Speaker 1 Guy that goes throughout his daily life and truly believes that nobody talks bad about him behind his back. That he's always on the right side of the argument, that nobody sees through his charm. This is the kind of guy that would probably sit around and fantasize about road rage situations like this and all the cool stuff he would do. Imagine in all the things the dude on the bike would have said to him, oh, and then he'd be like Socrates, just dressing him down in front of the crowd. Everyone's laughing. Imagine in the dude trying to sneak up behind him. That whole classic, what I would have done if I was there mentality, I would have seen the guy coming. I got great peripheral vision on my grandfather's side of the family. I would have seen him ([Time 0:11:21](https://share.snipd.com/snip/95e25707-74c6-43b8-9d9c-c83e142e15f7)) - The Reverse Baptism Summary: " clemente is living in a delusional place of innocence. He thinks he's the greatest person ever," says John Oliver. "When he gets sucker punched, and, quite literally, is smacked across the face with the reality of who he truly is ... it illuminates weakness." Transcript: Speaker 1 You can truly be one of the most detestable people that's ever lived in the history of the world. And then someone dunks you into six inches of water in an above-ground pool in the attic of a Baptist church somewhere. And you're good now, buddy. You're in. You found the loophole in the system, I guess. But in the case of Clamonts, once again, he's living in a delusional place of innocence. He thinks he's the greatest person ever. So when he gets sucker-punched and quite literally is smacked across the face with the reality of who he truly is, it illuminates weakness. It illuminates evil, sin, a lack of integrity. This event ([Time 0:14:03](https://share.snipd.com/snip/48c966f5-4ea9-48fe-9d94-fc3a7e1cadd6)) - The Reverse Baptism Summary: You're in. You've found the loophole in the system, i guess. But in the case of clemente, once again, he's living in a delusional place of innocence. He thinks he's the greatest person ever. So when he gets sucker punched, and, quite literally, is smacked across the face with the reality of who he truly is. It illuminates weakness. It illuminates evil sin, a lack of integrity. This event in his life acts as a reverse baptism for some one like this. And you can see this just as clearly in the second event that leads to his fall. Transcript: Speaker 1 In. You found the loophole in the system, I guess. But in the case of Clamonts, once again, he's living in a delusional place of innocence. He thinks he's the greatest person ever. So when he gets sucker-punched and quite literally is smacked across the face with the reality of who he truly is, it illuminates weakness. It illuminates evil, sin, a lack of integrity. This event in his life acts as a reverse baptism for someone like this. And you can see this just as clearly in the second event that leads to his fall. Because ([Time 0:14:16](https://share.snipd.com/snip/81a03549-bace-4d64-b484-296bbc2dc91b)) - Clemente's Paradime Shifting Moment Summary: Clemente was a lawyer in Paris. He realized that he is not god's gift to humanity, and how vulnerable he is to the constant judgment of others. This leads to a paradime shifting moment in clement's life. For more on this story click here. Transcript: Speaker 1 Clamonts, this is something he's never really had to consider in the safe bubble that he formerly lived in. Remember, as a lawyer in Paris, he was never the judge or the one accused of the crime. He was always able to play the middle ground there. And in the everyday world, he figured everyone just agreed that he was this remarkable, exceptional person just like he thought he was. Once he realizes, though, that he is not, in fact, God's gift to humanity, and how vulnerable he is to the constant judgment of others, this leads to a paradigm-shifting moment in Clamonts' life. ([Time 0:16:57](https://share.snipd.com/snip/c5c1afd4-d9b4-4741-9859-0d816b182199)) - Don't Worry About That Person Summary: Despite the fact that your friend wasn't there, has only heard your side of the story, and isn't exactly an impartial jury rendering a verdict here. Despite all this, you still, for some reason, want them to tell you that you were right, this other person is wrong,. And even if this random stranger judged you, the jury of your peers finds you innocent. Don't worry about it. This is the service that friends provide in the eyes o clements - regardless of the fact that they weren't there. ging to go home to their miserable life and complain al day to their mother, whom they still live with. Transcript: Speaker 1 Going to go home to their miserable life and complain all day to their mother who they still live with. Don't worry about it. This is the service that friends provide in the Isaclamons. Regardless of the fact that your friend wasn't there, has only heard your side of the story and isn't exactly an impartial jury rendering a verdict here. Despite all this, you still for some reason want them to tell you that you were right, this other person is wrong, and that even if this random stranger judged you, the jury of your peers finds you. And if you expand this example to ([Time 0:19:46](https://share.snipd.com/snip/45740590-fe89-461b-8dab-935285f697f6)) - What Your Friends Want From You Summary: If you indulge in this sympathy service that friends provide for you too much, your friends will allow you to keep yourself the same person making the same mistakes over and over and over again. Even if a random stranger judged you, the jury of your peers finds you innocent. Transcript: Speaker 1 There, has only heard your side of the story and isn't exactly an impartial jury rendering a verdict here. Despite all this, you still for some reason want them to tell you that you were right, this other person is wrong, and that even if this random stranger judged you, the jury of your peers finds you. And if you expand this example to everything you tell your friends about, relationships, career choices, fears, dreams, you can see how if you indulge in this sympathy service that friends provide for you too much, your friends will allow you to keep yourself the same person, making the same mistakes over and over and over again. Clomont ([Time 0:19:59](https://share.snipd.com/snip/dab28d80-6cb2-4704-b2cb-ca88cbf4c4db)) - What Your Friends Want From You Summary: If you indulge in this sympathy service that friends provide for you too much, your friends will allow you to keep yourself the same person making the same mistakes over and over and over again. Camu says this is symptomatic of what he calls a sort of modern amnesia. We're able to conveniently forget about all the mistakes we make in our lives and just move on as though nothing has really happened. Despite what they say, this service is actually what your friends want from you. You've all met somebody like this before. Transcript: Speaker 1 Everything you tell your friends about, relationships, career choices, fears, dreams, you can see how if you indulge in this sympathy service that friends provide for you too much, your friends will allow you to keep yourself the same person, making the same mistakes over and over and over again. Clomont says, despite what they say, this service is actually what your friends want from you. Camus says, this is symptomatic of what he calls a sort of modern amnesia, where we're able to conveniently forget about all the mistakes we make in our lives and just move on as though nothing has really happened. We've all met somebody like this before. You know, ([Time 0:20:17](https://share.snipd.com/snip/19b4a377-2b9e-4c14-89cf-df773f4bba0c))