AP+P2+2014-15+Absurdism

Aim: Tim



Absurdism is a philosophical ideal, which questions the human condition and the impact of the human race when compared to the vastness of the universe. In general, the backbone of the “ Absurdist movement centered on the idea that life is irrational, illogical, incongruous, and without reason” (Bolick 1). It is a view that the idea that human society is at all relevant to the world is actually quite ridiculous, as human beings impact on the world means very little. The philosophy of absurdism states that the human race “moves from the nothingness whence it came toward the nothingness where it must end” (Absurdism). It points out that an individual human being is irrelevant to the large scale of things. Overall the view points out that there is no point to a “human condition” because in terms of the universe, the human condition is irrelevant. It is absurd to believe that the human race is anything else but simply nothing. While this may seem like a pessimistic view, the main point is to notice the actual important aspects of the universe instead of focusing on aspects of life that are actually irrelevant.

“Absurdism”. //Bohemian Ink//. Levity. Web. 5 January 2014.

Bolick, Elizabeth. “Absurdism in Post-Modern Art: Examining the Interplay between ‘Waiting for Godot’ and ‘Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close’”. //Student Pulse//. Web. 5 January 2014.

Audience: Savannah



Absurdism is a philosophy which stems from the confrontation of the human race and and the so called silence of the world. Absurdist writers, such as Camus, aim their ideas towards the human race as a whole, since the idea behind absurdism encompasses the entirety of the human race. The audience, or the human race, is supposed to come to the understand that everything has a purpose and a higher connection. For example, the philosophy index states, “Each new height must then be validated by a higher one. This evokes the common theological question: if humankind was created by God, who or what created God?” ("Absurdism" 1). Those who write with an absurdist perspective intend of the human race to be able to accept this fact that everything has a purpose. The audience is supposed to feel challenged by absurdism and “must get up and do things for themselves instead of waiting around for something to do it for them” ("Q&A" 1). Authors of absurdism assume that their audiences are familiar with various aspects of absurdism and believe in it. This can be a weakness because not everyone believe in the absurd or will admit to believing in the absurd. However, the overall objective of the authors is to aim their absurd writing toward an audience that will understand their ideas and learn to grow from them.

"Absurdism." Existentialism and the Absurd (Philosophy Index). The Philosophy Index, Web. 05 Jan. 2015.

"Q&A Categories." Modern Plays versus Absurdist: Do Absurdists Owe Modern Playwrights? Yoexpert, Web. 06 Jan. 2015.



Cultural - Kara

The idea of Absurdism questions the ideas of life, it focuses on the idea that one singular human does not have an enormous effect on the outcome of the world. This goes against the very popular idea of every person making a difference in order for each person to feel important. The Absurdism culture focuses on the irrelevant ideas life. How the biggest ideas of life and the existence of humans are ultimately purposeless and unneeded to the overall success of the universe. The definition of absurdism states “ human beings live inessential isolation in a meaningless and irrational world”(Dictionary Reference). The culture surrounding this is the idea of the lack of purpose in the world is a darker world and idea that started up after world war two when the world was in shambles and in a great depression. The culture surrounds itself in reimagining all of the thoughts and ideas of the previous world of put forward of everyone having a reason and a position in the world and helping out with everything that is happening throughout the cultures around the world. Absurdism is the change of a world, into a darker idea of lack of purpose and but pulling attention to the ideas that are more important and relevant to the world.

"Absurdism." Existentialism and the Absurd(Philosophy Index). Web. 05 Jan 2015

Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Web. 06 Jan. 2015

Runcie, Charlotte. //Camus: The Great Writer of the Absurd.// Telegraph UK, 07 Nov. 2003. Web. 05 Jan 2015.



By Riley Zerbe

Absurdism is the philosophical belief that inherently there is no order or purpose to the universe and that most of humanities angst comes from our inherent desire for their to be a purpose or order to the universe. This belief started as an offshoot of the existentialist movement. Both were started by Søren Kierkegaard, a 19 century Danish philosopher. The absurdist movement itself grew out of the European existentialist movement by Albert Camus. The origin of the absurdist movement is credited to Albert Camus, specifically his book The Myth of Sisyphus. After Word War II Europe was the ideal environment for this kind of movement to flourish as the continent as a whole faced a dissatisfying situation that forced many to proclaim the futility of life. None more so than France. The country was physically demolished after the war but there was great emotional and mental turmoil as well due to the abuse of the Germans and the treachery of many French politicians who basically defected to Nazism. This movement and the existential movement quickly expanded to affect all aspects of French and European life.

Aronson, Ronald. "Albert Camus." Stanford University. Stanford University, 27 Oct. 2011. Web. 05 Jan. 2015.

"Absurdism." Philosophy-index. N.p., n.d. Web.