Absurdism: As absurd as it sounds?

 

Absurdism: As absurd as it sounds?

The premise on which the entire theory or philosophy of Absurdism is based on is that the universe in itself offers no reason to what it is, additionally, it is meaningless in its myriad offerings. It further claims that the cosmos as a whole is absurd. The absurdity is due to the conflict arising as a result of an individual trying to find a meaning in this otherwise meaningless world.

Absurdism says that the ultimate purpose to life or living doesn’t exist and directs our attention to the insignificance of human existence in this vast universe. If one refers back to the early writings of absurdism, three prime responses have been suggested to deal with it, namely, suicide, belief (religious) and revolt (against absurd). Revolt is highly recommended as it acknowledges the absurdity of the universe, unlike the former two, which are just an escape or aversion from it. Later, other methods have been added to these by the thinkers of absurdism and essentially contains the methods of irony – taking life less seriously, ignorance – towards the conflict and by far the best, is to stop thinking much about the response. It is further elaborated that if nothing really matters then our response to this should also not matter, which actually makes sense. One can see that observing life to be absurd and meaningless is not a modern thought process. This view has been thought by various philosophers, who in their time have dabbled with it, and used it as a platform to present their take on life and religion. Among these stalwart philosophers stands out an individual, in a league of his own, with whom absurdism is closely associated and is Albert Camus. His books support the view that life at large and as a whole doesn’t mean anything. This perhaps has been brought out more eloquently in his books like, The Stranger (The Outsider) and The Myth of Sisyphus. Later, we see him delve deeper into the morality and the metaphysics of revolt in the book, The Rebel.

Absurdism as a philosophy talks about a conflict, a conflict that involves a bout between two things. These two things can be anything and is not specifically mentioned. Though various theorists have cited what they feel it should be, it closely resembles the original conflict of a man trying to make meaning of a meaningless universe; trying as hard as it may be to use reason to understand that which is beyond rationality. It is important to note here that absurdism doesn’t propose and profess that nothing matters or everything is useless, rather it says that things do appear to matter to us and this can’t be avoided. It further strengthens its stand on the meaningless nature of universe by saying that absurdism is not limited to a particular instance/circumstance but life as a whole. Not just for an individual who is a failure or a success by the standards of society, but for each one of us, everyone, irrespective of our stations in life. To make us understand absurdism or what it means by meaninglessness of universe, it is asked of us to look at our lives in all its glory and horror not from the point of view of the one experiencing it, but from a point outside of it. All the accomplishments and lack of it though matters/mattered to us from the experiencer’s point of view, in the large scheme of things say the universe, they don’t mean anything at all. Hence, the conflict and absurdity that ensues it. It is evident that the meaning making is from the subjective point of view and in conflict with the object reality of the universe. This becomes a problem as one tries hard to make meaning when there is none.

In the book, The Myth of Sisyphus, Albert Camus says that, though Sisyphus is condemned by the Gods to roll a boulder up the hill for all eternity as a punishment, he accepts that once it is rolled up the hill, it is bound to roll back down and as a whole his efforts are pointless. Hence, by doing so, he chooses how to live and let it affect him within those restrictions placed upon him. This acceptance helps him overcome the absurdity of the task and in its repetition gives him happiness and freedom, making him the absurd hero. Hence, Camus says, “One must imagine Sisyphus happy.” By accepting the inevitability and meaninglessness of the universe, Sisyphus carried on and thus should be our efforts as well. This is how revolt should lead our actions in this universe, as it encourages us to sustain a better existence. A word of caution accompanies this revolt and we are reminded that it should not be blind, and it ought to help us to maintain the respect and dignity of others who are or not in a similar pursuit. It is living life for its own sake. It is not to have followers agreeing to us. Absurdity depends as much on the universe as on us.

The acceptance, that life is absurd is a step towards overpowering the meaninglessness of life/universe. It is possible to know the state of mind from which Camus formulated this theory of absurdism when one studies his life, the circumstances, the period and his works, closely.

No doubt, misfortunes and ambiguity of life contributes to an individual’s take of life and responses to it. Nonetheless, it is up to the individual to choose either of the responses as presented above, and it is here where the freedom lies. The freedom to choose, to exercise the individual will. But to say that only one among the above is best is denying the existence of meaninglessness in universe and impose our own projection of meaning to it. Which, by the way contradicts the edict on which absurdism is based. It is possible to see the absurdity of the universe and still choose to follow either of the first two responses and not the third, of revolt. Knowing that everything is meaningless and still follow faith should not be considered a deviation from the theory as one is imagining Sisyphus happiness now, by performing the rigamarole task with awareness.

One can see that there is scope for addition and subtraction to the idea of absurdism and is up to the individual to implement it and staying true to it based on his understanding.