Confronting the Absurd

Albert Camus set three possible response on dealing with the absurd:

Suicide (Physical Suicide)

Philosophical Suicide

Confronting the Absurd

Albert Camus rejected Physical Suicide. For him absurd cannot exist if there is no man. And taking away your own life is not true revolt.

The Legendary libertine Don Juan, represents the pursuit of pleasure and sensual experiences as a way to deny the inherent meaninglessness of life. Don Juan seeks distraction in romantic conquests and fleeting pleasures to confront the absurd.

The conqueror is the individual who seeks to overcome the absurd through power, achievements, or conquests. He chooses action over contemplation, aware of the fact that nothing can last and no victory is final.

Camus used Sisyphus as Metaphor for the human condition in a absurd world. Sisyphus is condemned by the gods to endlessly rolls a boulder uphill, only for it to roll back down. Camus argues that embracing the absurdity and finding meaning in the struggle itself is esse...

The Actor represents an individual who immerses themselves in various character roles and personas. Those mask (roles) help them to become detached to the absurdity of existence.

Albert Camus' task is to find the most important philosophical questions to human. Then he came up with it and states:

"There is but one truly philosophical problem, and that is Suicide"

The Absurdity with Hope is Kafkaesque

At the essay "Hope and the Absurd in the work of Franz Kafka". Camus acknowledge the idea of Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis and The Trial are novellas of Kafka that represent the...

He also explores the writing of Fyodor Dostoevsky, it represents absurd creation and use the premise of absurdism as his starting point.

- We live our lives as if we're not aware of the certainty of death that we will meet into the end of it.

- Science and Metaphysics only explained the world descriptively. Any interpretation in attempt in "making sense" in our life will end...

The problem is generated by taking these two position: "Life is meaningless" and "Human desire for meaning."

This will create an absurdity, a contradiction. Why still seek when there is none, why still live when existence a...

Camus examines the artist or maker. Absurd art is limited to describing the multitude of experiences in the world because meaning is unattainable. Of course, absurd creativity must also abstain from judgment and from hinting at the tiniest glimmer of optimism to ...

After accepting the absurd, there is a new philosophical questions and that is "How should the Absurd Man live?"

Camus gives some representations on how do we live a life like an Absurd Man:

Don Juanism

The Actor

Many other philosophers attempt to deal with the absurd. Here are their concept:

Heidegger's emphasize the reliance on existential authenticity.

Karl Jaspers emphasizing authenticity and transcendence.

Kierkegaard's advocates leap of fai...