The liberation found when one is no longer bound by religious or moral absolutes.
In the title essay, Camus uses the Greek myth of Sisyphus—condemned to roll a boulder up a hill for eternity, only for it to roll back down every time—as a metaphor for the human condition.
by Albert Camus is a landmark of 20th-century existentialist thought. Published in 1942, it explores the "absurd"—the conflict between the human drive to find meaning and the "unreasonable silence" of a universe that offers none. Core Philosophy: The Absurd
Camus argues that life is inherently meaningless, but this realization should not lead to despair or suicide. Instead, he proposes three responses to the absurd:
Living in constant defiance of the meaningless world.
Living life to the fullest "quantity" by embracing every present moment. The Myth of Sisyphus