1940s Euro-Asian Philosophical Differences: The Outsider and No Longer Human

Runqi Zhu

doi:10.54254/2753-7048/2025.NE27755

Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public MediaOpen access

1940s Euro-Asian Philosophical Differences: The Outsider and No Longer Human

Research Article

Open Access

1940s Euro-Asian Philosophical Differences: The Outsider and No Longer Human

Runqi Zhu ^1*

¹ Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications

^*Corresponding author: 2024213392@bupt.cn

Published on 14 October 2025

LNEP Vol.127

ISSN (Print): 2753-7056

ISSN (Online): 2753-7048

ISBN (Print): 978-1-80590-331-4

ISBN (Online): 978-1-80590-332-1

Download Cover

Abstract

Albert Camus' "The Outsider" and Dazai Osamu's "No Longer Human", as literary works of the 1940s, vividly reflect the differences in philosophical concepts between Asia and Europe. Both works depict the survival status, behavioral patterns, and personal thoughts of the protagonists in the stories from the first-person perspective, exploring the individual's resistance against the absurd world from the perspective of European existentialism. And the decline of the individual in the process of integrating with the world under the Japanese Mono aware aesthetics and nihilism. Murso's insistence on self-existence and Yozo's nihilism after reconciliation with the world offer profound reflections on how cultural backgrounds shape the qualities of human thought, making these works classics in literary history. Through them, we can learn about the cultural roots of different regions in the 1940s. They also provide assistance for humanity to find more solutions in the face of the predicament of modernity.

Keywords:

The Outsider, No Longer Human, Existentialism, Mono aware, Nihilism, philosophical concepts

View PDF

References

[1]. Camus, Albert. The Outsider [M]. Translated by Liu Mingjiu. Shanghai: Shanghai Translation Publishing House, 2010.

[2]. Li, Yuan. "On Camus' Concept of 'Absurdity'" [J]. Journal of Peking University (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition), 2005, 42 (1): 22 - 28.

[3]. Camus, Albert. The Myth of Sisyphus [M]. Translated by Du Xiaozhen. Beijing: The Commercial Press, 2017.

[4]. Kaufmann, W. Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sartre [M]. New York: Meridian Books, 1956.

[5]. Xuan, Qingkun. "Devoting One's Whole Life Is Happiness—A Philosophical Interpretation of Camus' The Stranger" [J]. Journal of Anhui Institute of Education, 2005, 23 (5): 10 - 13.

[6]. Kojin Karatani. The Origin of Modern Japanese Literature [M]. Translated by Zhao Jinghua. Beijing: SDX Joint Publishing Company, 2003.

[7]. Dong, Xiong'er. "Is It Possible That Only I Am an Outsider—Reflections on the Theme of No Longer Human" [J]. Journal of Mianyang Teachers' College, 2011, 30 (12): 84 - 86.

[8]. Ren, Jianghui. "On the Literary Thoughts of Dazai Osamu, a Writer of the Japanese Decadent School" [J]. Journal of Southwest University of Science and Technology (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition), 2012, 29 (3): 61 - 65.

[9]. Billeter, J. F. Introduction to Japanese Thought [M]. Translated by J. Reding. New York: Weatherhill, 1978.

[10]. Jaspers, K. Philosophy of Existence [M]. Translated by Richard F. Grabau. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1971.

[11]. Taizai Osamu. No Longer Human [M]. Translated by Yang Wei. Nanjing: Yilin Press, 2014