Absurdism

Marco - Cultural

Merriam Webster: "a philosophy based on the belief that the universe is meaningless and that the search for order brings the individual into conflict with the universe"

Absurdism is the idea that nothing has purpose, like existentialism, but unlike existentialism, Absurdists do not try to question it, but rather, just live their life knowing that the universe has no meaning.

Absurdism comes up in pop culture rather frequently. One example of Absurdism in modern media is in the movie "The Big Lebowski". The character "The Dude" is an __#|unemployed__ __#|single man__ who does not have a care in the world, no

Jordan - Aim Vanessa - Audience

= Absurdism - Historical Impact =

1. Visual
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The term "Absurdism" commonly refers to...

 * ==="...the disharmony between man's search for meaning and the apparent meaningless of the universe" (Shingler).===
 * ==="...the lack of divine purpose for the universe or for human life" (Shingler).===
 * ==="...how individual lives and human existence in general have no rational meaning or order making each live equally meaningless" (Shingler).===

4. Explanation and Analysis
===Absurdism is a philosophy that was introduced at the beginning of the twentieth century. However, it was not until the years immediately following World War II that the movement reached its peak. With the catastrophic armies, an estimated 48 million deaths, and concentration camps, many people were often "overcome by feelings of pessimism and helplessness" (Night). This abundance of negatively opened a new perspective about the meaning of life. Writers and authors turned to literature to express these perspectives, often times addressing philosophies that were still new to the country. One author in particular became well-known for his works in regards to Absurdism. Albert Camus, an Existentialist promoter focused his works around the aspect that "individual lives and human existence in general have no rational meaning or order" but rather it was a "futile attempt to find rational order where none exists" (Shingler). Through his works, including //The Myth of Sisyphus -// a short myth depicting a figure of Greek mythology condemned to a life of repeated meaningless task - many people began to question the purpose of life. Absurdism became a controversial topic with mixed responses, often bringing in aspects of God and a religious afterlife. However, this problem is addressed in existential thinking, "the underlying assumption is the absence of a god and an afterlife. Thus there is no divine purpose for the universe or for human life" (Shingler). By describing a lack of a redeeming purpose, the inevitably of death, Camus portrays all lives as being equally meaningless. Despite the difficulty that people had with accepting this notion, Absurdity became a common trait in Camus' writings and eventually influenced thoughts and morals in recent history.===

5. Works Cited

 * ===Night. "Literary Movements for Students". Ed. Marie Rose Napierkowski. Vol. 4. Detroit: Gale, 1998. 234-35. Source===
 * ===Shingler, David. "Existentialism and The Absurd". AP American Language: Empire High School, 8 October 2012. Keynote Address.===

= Absurdism - Audience =

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Absurdism in culture

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Marco Colpo

Definition: Merriam Webster: "a philosophy based on the belief that the universe is meaningless and that the search for order brings the individual into conflict with the universe"

Absurdism is the idea that nothing has purpose, like existentialism, but unlike existentialism, Absurdists do not try to question it, but rather, just live their life knowing that the universe has no meaning. Absurdism has been the topic of classic books such as "the Stranger" by Albert Camus. One of the quotes in the book goes, “I had been right I was still right I was always right. I had lived my life one way and I could just as well lived it another. I had done this and I hadn t done that. I hadn t done this thing and I had done another. And so?" (Camus). The last part of the quote is very important, because it represents the foundation of Absurdism. The Absurdist is questioning of the reason behind everything, because they are not convinced that anything has reason. So what if a certain event occurred? In the big scheme of things, nothing matters, because if everything is deconstructed, it is hard to find a hard piece of evidence that supports the thought that there is inherent purpose to life. Another quote takes makes a further explanation of Absurdism,“Have you no hope at all? And do you really live with the thought that when you die, you die, and nothing remains?" "Yes," I said." (Camus) The Absurdist does not care that their fate is set and that it does not matter. Living such a lifestyle would require one to be extremely easy going, to the point of danger. For instance, a true absurdist would hear the words, "Your car is on fire", and would not jump to put it out, because what does a car matter? Everything will be okay. Absurdism comes up in pop culture rather frequently. One example of Absurdism in modern media is in the movie "The Big Lebowski". The character "The Dude" is an unemployed single man who does not have a care in the world, no "responsibility, contemplation, or regret," (Harker). This man has accepted that things will come as they do, and his attitude toward the events that occur in the movie can provide evidence for this statement. At one point, a suitcase that was allegedly full of one million dollars was stolen along with his car, and he acted rather calm, and even indifferent. he also was very quick to help out the man that hired people to beat him up to help recover the man's wife, the money, and his car. This is because that was the task at hand, and the absurdist focuses on the task at hand. One might summarize this as "living in the moment".

Citations:

Harker, Joel. "The Philosophy of the Absurd in the Big Lebowski." //Literary and Cultural Theory//. N.p., 18 Feb. 2008. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. .

"The Stranger Quotes." //Good Reads.// N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. .