Camus' essay Nietzsche and Nihilism, which will later go on to become a part of The Rebel, is an evaluation of Nietzsche's response to nihilism. This article examines Albert Camus approach to nihilism, focusing on two main aspects: the problematic of suicide in The Myth of Sisyphus, and secondly, the relationship between collective and murder in The Rebel. While both works are heavily influenced by Nietzsche, Camus is most explicitly and critically engaged with the German philosopher in the latter. Camus argues that Nietzsche's proposed total affirmation of existence as a response to nihilism would imply an incapacity to deny murder - an assumption which we would like to dispute. Nihilism deals with the apparent meaninglessness of existence after the demise of religious and transcendent ideals that previously gave direction and coherence to the individual's life, thus famously prompting Nietzsche to declare God's death. Both Nietzsche and Camus recognize the impossibility of resurrecting the dead God and instead focus on the challenges faced by the individuals living without a transcendental purpose or pre-determined set of values. While Camus' understanding of nihilism is greatly influenced by Nietzsche, works such as The Myth of Sisyphus and The Rebel offer a critical perspective and prompt a distinct response to nihilism. In this sense it is important to first examine Camus' understanding of Nietzsche.
