Moral alternative to the humanitarian crisis: Albert Camus' journalism in the absence of virtue
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5007/1984-6924.2025.e103436Keywords:
Albert Camus, Neither Victims nor Executioners, humanitarian crisis, Public intellectualsAbstract
In 1946, Albert Camus published a series of journalistic essays in the newspaper Combat, entitled “Neither victims nor executioners”, which became an emblematic item in the framework of the author’s journalistic career. Scholars differ on the ideas and meaning of this series. Some understand it to be an alternative to the humanitarian crisis of that period, while others understand it as a clarification of his political positions. Upon examination, it is clear that the text contains a series of elements that expose the emptying of human morality due to war, which, in Camus’ eyes, was not fought by political parties or ideologies, and it is therefore understood that the first interpretation is more appropriate.
References
ARONSON, R. Albert Camus. In: Zalta, E.; Nodelman, U. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford: Stanford, 2011. Disponível em: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/camus/. Acesso em 23 dez. 2023.
CAMUS, A. Camus at Combat. Princeton: Princeton, 2007a.
CAMUS, A. The Century of Fear. In: Camus, A. Camus at Combat. Princeton: Princeton, 2007b. p. 257-260.
CAMUS, A. Saving bodies. In: Camus, A. Camus at Combat. Princeton: Princeton, 2007c. p. 260-261.
CAMUS, A. Socialism Mystified. In: Camus, A. Camus at Combat. Princeton: Princeton, 2007d. p. 262-264.
CAMUS, A. The Revolution Travestied. In: Camus, A. Camus at Combat. Princeton: Princeton, 2007e. p. 264-266.
CAMUS, A. International Democracy and Dictatorship In: Camus, A. Camus at Combat. Princeton: Princeton, 2007f. p. 266-268.
CAMUS, A. The World Moves Quickly. In: Camus, A. Camus at Combat. Princeton: Princeton, 2007g. p. 268-270.
CAMUS, A. A New Social Contract. In: Camus, A. Camus at Combat. Princeton: Princeton, 2007h. p. 270-273.
CAMUS, A. Toward Dialogue. In: Camus, A. Camus at Combat. Princeton: Princeton, 2007i. p. 274-276.
CAMUS, A. Neither Victims nor Executioners: An Ethic Superior to Murder. Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 2008.
CAMUS, A. O homem revoltado. Rio de Janeiro: Record, 2019.
CAMUS, A. O mito de Sísifo. Rio de Janeiro: Record, 2021.
CAMUS, A. A crise do homem. In: Camus, A. Conferências e discursos: 1937-1958. Rio de Janeiro: Record, 2023.
HOBSBAWM, E. Era dos extremos: o breve século XX (1914-1991). São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 1995.
JUDT, T. O peso da responsabilidade: Blum, Camus, Aron e o século XX francês. Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, 2014.
LÉVI-VALENSI, J. Chapter 3: November 19-30, 1946 “Neither Victims nor Executioners”. In: Camus, A. Camus at Combat. Princeton: Princeton, 2007.
MEAGHER, R. Albert Camus and the human crisis. Nova York: Pegasus Books, 2021.
NEVEU, É. Sociologia do jornalismo. São Paulo: Edições Loyola, 2006.
PRICE, R. História concisa da França. São Paulo: Edipro, 2016.
RÜDIGER, F. Origens do pensamento acadêmico em jornalismo: Alemanha, União Soviética, Itália e Japão. Florianópolis: Insular, 2017.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Arthur Freire Simões Pires
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and publication rights over their works without restrictions.
Upon submitting their work, authors grant Estudos em Jornalismo e Mídia the exclusive right of first publication, with the work simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 International License. This license allows third parties to remix, adapt, and build upon the published work, provided that proper credit is given to the authorship and to the original publication in this journal.
Authors are also permitted to enter into additional contracts, separately, for non-exclusive distribution of the published version of the work in this journal (for example: depositing it in an institutional repository, making it available on a personal website, publishing translations, or including it as a book chapter), provided that authorship and the initial publication in Estudos em Jornalismo e Mídia are acknowledged.
