Return to Saussure

Introduction: Between Silence and Structure Albert Camus once posed the ultimate philosophical dilemma in startling terms: “Should I kill myself or have a cup of coffee?” In The Myth of Sisyphus , he identifies a profound conflict: the human longing for coherence, purpose, and clarity confronts an indifferent universe that remains resolutely mute. This confrontation, for Camus, gives rise to the condition he famously calls the absurd . But what if the absurd is not metaphysical at all, but rather linguistic? If signs are not transparent reflections of reality but differential positions within a system, as Ferdinand de Saussure proposed, then meaning may persist—not in spite of silence, but because of language’s internal structure. This article explores how Saussurean linguistics may reframe Camus’ notion of absurdity and offer an alternative to existential despair grounded in semiology. Camus and the Logic of the Absurd Camus’ philosophy hinges on the idea that life lacks in...