Absurdism In The Absurd

Absurdism refers to humanity’s need to look for meaning in life and inability to find meaning. Meursault identifies with an absurdist by believing that the world is

Camus' philosophy is an amalgam of existentialism and humanism. An atheist, Camus did not believe that death, suffering, and human existence had any intrinsic moral or rational meaning. Because he did not believe in God or an afterlife, Camus held that human beings, as mortals, live under an inexplicable, irrational, completely absurd death sentence. Nevertheless, Camus did believe that people are capable of giving their lives meaning. The most meaningful action within the context of Camus' philosophy is to choose to fight death and suffering.

“As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself—so like a brother, really” (Camus 122-123). On the dawn of his execution, the hopeless and confused Meursault understands the universal truth and meaning of life. Albert Camus’s The Stranger summarizes the themes and messages of the entire novel in these forty-eight words. In these final words, Albert Camus is able to point out many ideas and philosophies that could enlighten man. This final quote from Albert Camus’s The Stranger reveals absurdist philosophies and illuminates an universal truth that is simple yet difficult to comprehend.

"Albert Camus." Bookmarks (Issue 14). Jan./Feb. 2005: 26-31. SIRS Renaissance. Web. 01 Jan . 2013.

Mark Drolsbaugh presentation titled “Madness in the Mainstream” encompassed Deaf education and challenges Deaf children face with mainstream education. Drolsbaugh was born hearing and as he grew up, he had progressive hearing loss and became Deaf by college. Luckily for him, he was born into a Deaf family. Drolsbaugh went on to Graduate from Gallaudet and wrote for different deaf newspapers and publications and became a school counselor. He had written four books by 2014 pertaining to the Deaf community. Madness in the Mainstream was actually his fourth book and was the basis to this presentation.

In 1971, Thomas Nagel wrote a paper titled ‘The Absurd.’ He argues that the nous of the absurd arises from two belligerent propensities in us: the first is explained as, ‘we take our lives’, or at slightest the ventures we take on in our lives, and that we cannot circumvent. In addition, the second propensity is that we are capable, upon undermining or reflecting, the explanations for any of our ventures in life. Furthermore, from a radical point of view outside people’s interests nothing can be justified; however we are skilled enough in taking up such a perspective reflection. What more can be said is that this absurdity is an ailment we are predestined to by virtue of our reflective nature. Though in general understanding to the idea,

Nagel contends that life is absurd by virtue of a collision, “between the seriousness with which we take our lives and the perpetual possibility of regarding everything about which we are serious as arbitrary, or open to doubt.” (Nagel, 718) We have the ability to step back and view ourselves and the lives we are living, “with that detach amazement which comes from watching an ant struggle up a heap of sand.” (Nagel, 720) We can briefly expel ourselves from the assignments of everyday life and question their point, reason, value, etc. What is absurd, for Nagel, is that we ourselves are equipped for taking it, “without ceasing to be the person whose ultimate concerns are so coolly regarded.” (Nagel, 720) So for Nagel, the absurd is on a very basic level in light of this capacity to step back and take part in uncertainty; in reality, he stops barely shy of equating it with epistemological

The Conundrum of Madness and Insanity Advanced Composition Dylan Bertsch Dylan Bertsch Sept 18, 2014 Ms. Hobbs Advanced Composition Unit 1 Essay The Conundrum of Madness and Insanity Many great authors such as Robert Browning, Edgar Allen Poe, and Simon Winchester wrote great literary works based on the theme of madness and insanity. Each one of these authors shared a different outlook on madness and irrationality that conclusively alters the tone and feel of their work. To fully grasp the authors’ various perceptions of madness, one must compare and analyze various pieces of literature based on madness.

Absurdism is mentioned but you have not defined it yet, and your introduction only focuses on existentialism

Albert Camus is considered one of the greatest existentialist writers of all time. However, although he was considered an existentialist writer, Camus never labeled himself as an existentialist. “No, I am not an existentialist”  (Albert Camus: Lyrical and Critical Essays, Vintage (1970)) Camus rejected in an 1945 interview, however in some of his literary works, some find that his writings are one of a true existentialistic thinker. Although many contrast these thoughts and believe that Camus was anything but a thinker of this philosophy, Camus is one of the main authors that people turn to research and read to understand the thinking of existentialism. One of his most famous books, The Plague, illustrates the need for a human to become an

The Unique Creation of Albert Camus. Donald Lazere. Yale University Press, 1973. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism.

For the question of what absurdism is, absurdism can best be summed up as the belief that one must make their own path in the world without any external influences to achieve enlightenment. Albert Camus The Stranger is about a man by the name Meursault who seems to be easily influenced by external forces, whether it be by others or his environment. One of the repercussions for his complacency is that he is " forced'' by the sun to kill an Arab man. After being tried and found guilty of this crime Meursault is sentenced to death and while imprisoned he come to reject society as a whole and happily wait for his impending death. In The Stranger the protagonist, Meursault is characterized as an atheist who does not have any clear idea who he

“Do not walk behind me; I may not lead. Do not walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend” - Albert Camus (Simpson). Albert Camus was an interesting intellectual during the 1940s and ‘50s. He was more than just a writer; he was a top class individual that lived life to the fullest, even though it was short lived for him. “In 1960 car accident and died January 4th” (Rhein). At the time of Camus’ death, he was only 46. In that short time he was more than just a writer; he was also an actor, playwright, political writer, owned his own newspaper, leader of the French resistance during World War II, part owner of a theater in France, and also a Nobel Prize winner. Overall he was way more than a writer, he was a highly

Absurdism is the idea in which the human condition is without purpose, meaning, or value. An anti-hero is a protagonist who does not demonstrate the usual or customary qualities generally found in a hero. In Albert Camus’s book The Stranger, Monsieur Mersault is an absurdist and an anti-hero. Heroes tend to be caring, loving, helpful, brave, and hopeful. Because of Mersault believing there is no significance to life

What is the absurd? Camus categorized as the “belief in the absurdity of existence must then dictate his conduct” (Camus, 6). What Camus means is feeling of absurdity goes hand in hand with having a meaningless life. We get so used to doing the same routine that, we as people don’t think we just act like a robot. Camus asks “Does its absurdity require one to escape it through hope or suicide? And does the absurd dictate death” (Camus, 9). Camus says, “An objective mind can always introduce into all problems have no place in this pursuit and this passion” (Camus, 9). The problem with this is if we were always based on facts then we would not be able to base our opinions on experiences. Camus also relates the feeling of absurdity to exile, we as people what to have meaning and or purpose in our own lives. The absurdity displaces us from having a meaning life. Camus says, “Mean who die by their own hand consequently follow to its conclusion their emotional inclination” (Camus, 9). Camus considers this an absurd reasoning because this feeling of exile can turn anyone crazy leading into suicide which both the absurd and suicide are linked together.