Simon holds a PhD in Philosophy and is the co-founder of the Albert Camus Society. Over the past twenty years he has worked helping to develop public interest in philosophy, philosophical literature, and theatre. His areas of special interest include Camus, Nietzsche, existentialism, absurdism, and mythopoesis.
Education
PhD Philosophy — University of Southampton, 2024
MPhil Philosophy — Lampeter, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, 2009
BA Philosophy — Lampeter, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, 2003
Areas of Expertise
Why Should We Imagine Sisyphus Happy? Explaining Camus’ Famous Quote
Many readers find it difficult to imagine Sisyphus happy. This difficulty arises when people fail to treat Camus’s account as a myth.
The Puzzling Truth/Lie Contradiction of Camus’ “The Stranger”
Albert Camus said of "The Stranger" that its anti-hero, Meursault, “refuses to lie,” but in the novel Meursault lies a lot. What is going on?
Why Barthes Thought Language Was Like a Skin
Barthes was always searching for a way of using language without cultural or ideological influences. He came to see language as a kind of skin.
Albert Camus’s Early Philosophy in “The Wrong Side and the Right Side”
Albert Camus’s first collection of lyrical essays, published in Algiers when he was just twenty-two years old, reveals the tragic beauty of Camus’s early philosophy.
What Camus’s Sisyphus Revealed About Human Dignity and the Absurd
The concepts of the absurd and human dignity both reveal something important about the value of human life. Most importantly, according to Camus’ Myth of Sisyphus, that life has value.
Why Theodor Adorno Did Not Suffer (Holy) Fools Lightly
Adorno opposed the idea of simplifying life and prizing the heart over the head as part of a nefarious plan to protect the status quo.
What Is “Worthiness” According to Thomas Hobbes?
After the English Civil War, Thomas Hobbes wanted to prevent a similar catastrophe from reoccurring. So, he challenged how we define the “worthiness” of leaders.
The 18th-Century Economic Allegory So Scandalous It Was Declared a “Public Nuisance”
The Fable of the Bees is an early economic allegory that shocked people so much they wanted it banned.
Why Did Nietzsche Hate Popular Music?
Nietzsche was an elitist with regard to music and people. He wanted to keep music pure, which meant keeping it away from the masses.
Explaining the Profound, Cosmic Infidelity in Camus’s “Adulterous Woman”
How are we to understand Camus’s short story The Adulterous Woman and how does she relate to Camus’s position on the French-Algerian settlers?
Nietzsche’s Riddle: Why Did Zarathustra Credit “Sounding Brass” for His Greatest Victory?
Nietzsche’s most important idea, from his most important work, rests on the idea of ‘sounding brass.’ No one knows for sure what it means.
Is It Wrong to Be a ‘Moral Saint’? Susan Wolf’s Case Against Moral Perfection
Susan Wolf argued that moral sainthood, i.e., striving to be morally perfect at all times, is undesirable. But why?