Absurdism
1) What is absurdism?
The tension between the human tendency to seek inherent value and significance in life and the human inability to locate them with any certainty is referred to as “the Absurd” in philosophy.
Individuals should embrace the absurdity of human existence, according to the absurdist philosopher Albert Camus. Existentialism and nihilism share several notions and a common theoretical framework with absurdism. Its roots can be found in the work of Soren Kierkegaard, a 19th-century Danish philosopher who chose to confront humanity’s existential issue with the Absurd by constructing his own existentialist philosophy.
2) Difference between Absurdism and Nihilism
Absurdism originated from (as well as alongside) the 20th-century strains of existentialism and nihilism. All three were inspired by the human experience of sorrow and perplexity caused by the Absurd: the apparent meaninglessness in a world where humans are obliged to discover or create meaning. Nihilists, particularly passive nihilists, believe that life has no inherent purpose and that searching for or affirming significance where none can be found is futile. That is essentially where the philosophy comes to an end. On the other hand, absurdists reluctantly acknowledge the possibility of some meaning or value in life.
3) Absurdism and the Meaning of Life
Individuals’ ability to be mindful of the absurd and their response to it permits them to acquire a greater degree of freedom. When absurdism is embraced, an individual’s construction of the meaning and purpose of existence finds its personal nature through meaningful endeavors in their lives. There is no objective purpose in life, and we will never be able to comprehend the universe or the absurd, but it is a logical possibility that we can find subjective meaning in life, even if it is ephemeral and will be nullified by death.
4) Why did the concept of the Absurd originate in the 20th Century?
The European existentialist movement that followed gave birth to absurdism as a belief system, specifically after Camus rejected some portions of that philosophical line of thinking in his essay “The Myth of Sisyphus”. The social situation created by World War II promoted absurdist views and allowed for their widespread development, particularly in the devastated country of France.
5) Kierkegaard’s concept of the absurd
The absurd is strongly tied to Kierkegaard’s concept of paradox. The absurd, according to Kierkegaard, is any activity that occurs without a rational basis to justify it. The absurd, like the paradox, is linked to the collision of two opposing powers, the ethical and the religious in Kierkegaard’s philosophy, which leads to the “Leap of faith” from one to the other. The individual is left in a paradoxical condition of absurdity due to his or her failure to mediate the two opposing forces. Kierkegaard believed in subjective truths and taking a leap of faith in order to obtain them. Internalized feelings and values that one commits to living by are referred to as subjective truths. The subjective facts of an individual are then externalized and incorporated into their behaviors. Kierkegaard wisely suggests that the “truth” we so vehemently seek is found outside of our ready-made perceptions of the reality in which we live. Subjective truths exist indefinitely and are always in the process of becoming as long as a person exists. These are the truths that we utilize to build our reality. Kierkegaard uses the absurd situation of Abraham in “Fear and Trembling”, in which he faithfully intends to kill his own son Isaac while believing that God will keep him alive. This is the ideal manifestation of absurdist faith for Kierkegaard.
6) Camus’ concept of the absurd
In his article “The Myth of Sisyphus,” Camus exemplifies his absurdist worldview. The absurd, according to Camus, is the folly of attempting to find sense in an incomprehensible cosmos empty of God or meaning. Camus posed the fundamental philosophical issue in the essay: is life worth living? Is suicide a viable option if life has lost its meaning? He contrasted humanity’s desire for order and meaning to Sisyphus, the Greek mythological hero who was cursed by the gods to roll a boulder up a mountain for all eternity, only to have it fall to the bottom. We, like Sisyphus, keep asking questions about life’s meaning, only to have our answers come crashing back down. According to the philosopher, we should accept the absurdity of our existence and embrace the task of creating worth and meaning. The acceptable reactions are effort and resilience, not suicide and despair. Camus claimed that Sisyphus is content with his seemingly useless existence and that we should emulate his tenacity.
7) The difference between the solution of Camus and Kierkegaard.
Kierkegaard and Camus describe the solutions to the absurd in their works, The Sickness unto Death (1849) and The Myth of Sisyphus (1942). Suicide as an “escape from existence” is an option that is dismissed by both Kierkegaard and Camus. To end one’s own existence, according to Camus, does not refute the absurd, but simply makes it more absurd. Belief in a transcending realm, being, or idea, whether religious, spiritual, or abstract: a solution in which one believes in the existence of a reality that is beyond the Absurd and hence has significance. A belief in anything beyond the Absurd, according to Kierkegaard, necessitates a non-rational but maybe necessary religious acceptance of such an intangible and factually unprovable object. However, Camus regarded this solution, as “philosophical suicide”. A solution in which one accepts the Absurd and continues to live in spite of it, was endorsed by Camus. He argues that accepting the Absurd can lead to complete freedom, and that by recognizing no religious or other moral restraints and revolting against the Absurd while accepting it as inexorable, one might be pleased with the personal meaning created in the process. The clash of experience and reality, and the choice to actively embrace our humanity despite knowing the truth, is absurdism. Camus advocates for this solution.
