What is Religious Philosophy? Shestov’s Possible Answer to Camus

Abstract

Albert Camus, despite presenting Lev Shestov in his book ‘The Myth of Sisyphus’ as a herald who made a significant contribution to the existential project of the absurd, criticized him for ‘eluding’ the absurd due to the religious nature of his philosophy. As Camus sees it, Shestov betrayed his initial insight by seeking to appeal to something beyond the limits of reason. He deifies what crushes him and finds reason to hope in what impoverishes him. Even though Shestov’s philosophy lies at the foundation of Camus’s entire project, it seems that Camus failed to understand the final and possibly most misleading step of his philosophy. As we will see, not only does the criticism Camus directs at Shestov not do the philosopher justice but, according to the categories which Shestov outlined when he redefined the limits of religious thought, this criticism should be directed at Camus himself .