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How the Heck Do You Live Absurdly?
Learning how to live in a surreal and strange world.
Absurdism is the close, but slightly lesser-known, cousin to existentialism and nihilism, two of the biggest philosophical ideas of the 20th century. What all three of these have in common is they are deeply concerned with the way humans perceive and orient themselves around the world.
It is tough to give one unified definition of what absurdism is, as different philosophers have examined it in very different ways. Although, there is one theme that runs through practically all absurdist philosophy: that there is something about human living that just feels wrong.
Oftentimes, absurdist texts try to shed light on what it is within life that makes our existence feel so strange and uncanny, whilst also offering some fascinating critiques on reality.
However, absurdist philosophy is about more than mere observations and examinations. Albert Camus, the unofficial figurehead of absurdism, once famously said that “there is only one really serious philosophical question, and that is suicide”. Not only did Camus want to provide insight on human living through his work, but he wanted to actually help people through their struggles. In other words, he wanted absurdism to have a practical use.
