Rebellion is an exercise of one’s
position as a citizen. To become a citizen is to accept the laws of society and
to recognize self and others as human. According to Camus it is important to
rebel because it is the only sphere in which one person can unite with another.
A true rebels goal is to defend humanity. Therefore if one man believes that it
is wrong to own another person and shares his idea with another, their
rebellion against slavery is the only way that they connect. In that situation
it is empathy that urges the non-oppressed to rebel on behalf of those who are oppressed.
One does not become a rebel when they realize their right to be free and in
doing so, recognizes the right for every individual to have freedom, but when
their recognition of their right becomes action in order to protect their right.
For Camus, if the individual recognizes something as sacred or higher, then the
individual has no ability to rebel because they unconditionally accept the
world as it is. In contrast to Camus, Arendt shows that for productive rebellion
(Civil Disobedience) to happen, one must recognize the way things are and
follow by the laws in society. By accepting society as it is, they can have a
more effective change on the part that they wish to see change.
Government’s responsibility to the individual
in society is to create a place such as the marketplace of ideas. It is necessary
to have rebellion because similarly to the individual, a government can further
explore its structure, and self, through the interaction with the group of
rebels. Rebellion is a form of societal self recognition.
Labels: RED HEADS AND CAROLINE
Great post, Maggie, thanks!
ReplyDeleteI liked that you tied this back into Kant (Marketplace of ideas) and Hegel (Societal self-recognition). Hegel's society definitely moves toward an "ethos", though-- do you think that Camus'/Arendts' does too? Or does it just continually evolve to fit the current needs of its citizens without reaching a higher "Good"?
I'm still a little confused about what Camus says about people only connecting through a common enemy-- is this really the only way that we can form relationships? From my own experience I would say that this is only one of many ways. What do you guys thi
i think that maggie has a really good point, and i also think that it is important to note that we all have a certain point or a certain capability to accept something and when that breaks, then that is the moment that you take action. Taking action is the thing that truly makes you a rebel, and i think that you need to have the intention of sharing that belief with others as well in order to reform society as a whole.
ReplyDeleteAwesome post!
ReplyDeleteI agree Emily... and I think it's a pretty dim view of human nature to think that we can only unite in opposition to something. Relationships, at least in my opinion, can also be formed through happiness-- for example, friendships with people who aren't that close to you are usually based on light, superficial things.