Response to Rebel by Albert Camus (Originally Written 9/23/07)

“What is a rebel? A man who says no, but whose refusal does not imply a renunciation. He is also a man who says yes, from the moment he makes his first gesture of rebellion. . .With rebellion awareness is born (Camus 13 - 15).”

These are the words of Albert Camus. His idea of the rebel embraced a metaphysical rebellion, that is, a movement by man that protests his very condition and creation. Camus claims that a rebel is essentially striving to become God, to create their own laws and in so doing become completely free. While I agree with his definition of a rebel, I do not agree that a rebel wants to play God.

A man/woman truly becomes aware when there is something not right with the world in their view, some injustice, unfair treatment, segregation. Rebellion is awareness. Awareness of a need to be free, a need to prevail over evil. History has provided us with a who’s who of rebels throughout history, every culture has an example. Rebellion is a human condition. A human reaction. A rebel will question why, act on his proposed ideas, die for them if need be, and finally if his ideas can be related to others, a rebellion or even revolution may occur. Men would die for his cause and they too would become rebels, by their action. Their death signifies the rebel’s death, a martyr for a cause that will better society in their eyes. So how is this a metaphysical rebellion?

It is true that a rebel will rebel against his condition. It is true that not every man will be satisfied with his place in the world, there will always be something that’s worth rebelling against in someone’s eyes. A rebel’s goals will be to change the condition and nature of whatever injustice he sees happening; to defeat oppression, to overthrow tyranny. But the rebel’s goals may be relatively insignificant in the big picture (rebellion against a small institution) or it may have large implications and go from a rebellion to a revolution (the American Revolution). The goals achieved may not be the goals intended, for once the rebel steps out there with his ideas, someone else may grasp them and call them their own (The Crusades, perhaps? Is killing for religion something Jesus [the greatest rebel of all time] would have condoned?). When this happens the rebel may find it necessary to rebel against the very cause he was rebelling for. And the cycle continues.

A rebel does not always find it necessary to create their own laws or government, at least not in every case. They seek a change of ways. I think Camus is taking some liberties here and trying to work in his belief in atheism. To play God would mean that the rebel wanted complete control and domination of others, and is that always the case? Of course not. Often a rebel simply wants more freedom to do as he pleases, not instituting his own laws against others. For if he did that, he should expect a rebellion rise against him and should realize that. A rebel believes his cause will benefit himself and others, not restrict.

A rebellion is not always a revolution, but a revolution almost always starts out as a rebellion. And this begs the question, what is the difference between a rebellion and a revolution? A rebellion is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as “resistance to authority; esp: defiance against a government through an uprising or revolt.” A revolution is defined as “a sudden, radical, or complete change: the overthrow or renunciation of one ruler or government and substitution or another by the governed.” Therefore, a rebellion is a simple act of defiance boycotting, protesting, and in situations that warrant it, revolt. And this revolt, if effective, leads to a revolution.

“In order to exist, man must rebel, but rebellion must respect the limit it discovers in itself – a limit where minds meet and, in meeting, begin to exist (Camus 22).” A rebellion must not forget its true cause. Maybe Camus is trying to say that rebellion has the potential to go awry and lead to tyranny. But that is only if, the rebellion does not respect its limits. Once those limits are breached the rebel will in essence be playing God. But a rebel does not seek this, he seeks justice and reform, existence and freedom, not tyranny and chaos.

Camus, Albert. The Rebel: An Essay on Man in Revolt, Vintage International, 1991. Pages 13-15, 22.