Table of Contents
Absurdism refers to a state of impossibility that man encounters in his quest to find the meaning of life and its inherent value. Absurdism occurs because the human mind and the universe occur simultaneously. The philosophical absurdism is not is not in terms of logical impossibility but human impossibility. The human efforts to find the meaning of life are always futile because the large amount of information and the huge realm of the unknown world are impossible. The fundamental disharmony that occurs between the meaninglessness of life and the human search for the meaning results into absurdist philosophy. Camus explains that the difference between the absurd man and other human beings lays within the inward attitude which is expressed in the actions.
Absurd Reasoning
Human beings base their hopes on tomorrow. They believe that their dreams and desires will be achieved in the future. They forget that at that time they will be nearer their death than before. Death is the biggest enemy of life and yet human beings live as though they are in eternity. Human beings commit philosophical suicide by breaching the process of reasoning. They always tend to put faith in God or elevate reasoning to very high standards that it becomes unattainable. Camus display Sisyphus as a legend who decided to put an end to death so that human beings could be free. The gods gave him a punishment of pulling a rock up the mountain then it would roll down and he pulls it up again. This is a metaphor in the human life. People always toil in factories and offices in vain. The reality is that all these work will end nowhere.
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Freedom- One can achieve freedom only up to the extent that absurdity in life permits. The existence of absurdity presents limitations in achieving freedom in life. The most vital step to achieving freedom is the acceptance of the existence of absurdity. The idea of ‘acceptance without resignation’ presents a way of dealing with absurdity in life. Human beings are expected to come to absolute acceptance of absurdity.
Hope- Camus considers hope as a way of evading reality in life. Absurdist does not advocate for hope in life. How can we build our hope on the future yet we are uncertain of our existence then? It is therefore wise to live fully at the present since tomorrow is never certain. It is still possible to live fully without having hope in life. People who do not have hope are always happier since they live every moment of their lives to the fullest. Camus comments that hope is a fraudulent method which people use to evade the absurd in life.
God- To believe in God is a philosophical suicide. Having faith in God in itself is absurd because human beings have not yet comprehended the purpose of God in their lives. Those who believe in God deny the existence of absurdist in life.
Integrity- Absurdist is usually guarded by integrity rather than morality. Therefore, the absurdist can be said to be amoral since he does not follow the moral standards of life. Morality is simply a set of rules that dictates right and wrong. Integrity on the other hand refers to being honest with oneself and applying a good motivation in life. The point of honesty with oneself also involves acceptance of unchangeable facts of absurd in life.
Personal meaning-The meaning in life is created by the beauty encountered therein. However, people can still create meaning of life in their own way. It is important for human beings to have in mind the absurd reality that exists in life lest they forget and by paying full attention to the invented meaning of life.
Happiness and elusion in life- Human beings have a tendency of believing in elusions as their sources of happiness. They try to evade the absurd in life. Elusion is a great flaw in reasoning that is caused by religion and existentialism. Reasoning requires of us not to live in elusions but to confront the realities of life. Therefore, we can only be happy to the extent that absurdity allows us to.
Inferiority complex of the colonized
In the book, Black Skin, White Mask, Fanon tries to explain the inferiority complex that black people have to deal with; blacks have lost their native cultural originality in the white world. They have adopted the culture of the white people, who apparently are their colonizers. It is even more absurd when enlightened blacks who have education become more engrossed into the white culture.
Criticism on science- Fanon criticized the European findings on science. The narrow scope of humanity that is presented in science acts a barrier to liberation. Europeans have invented in science to achieve their own selfish motives and to blind blacks in finding out the truth. Fanon remarks in his writing work that the most important thing is to change the world than to understand it. It is therefore useless to give theories that explain the world rather than methods of bringing transformation.
Humanism theory-The ideology of humanism developed during the enlightenment period. New humanism is characterized by faith, race and capitalism. The main of other cultures is to impose their practices on others who are considered inferior. Fanon points out that humanity is a victim of alien force and the only way to happiness is to do away with the imposing force.