After reading the Myth of Sisyphus and listening to many Alan Watts lectures, I've come to realize a striking parrallel between Absurdism and Zen. Of course Zen has its spiritual side to it, but the philosophical side of it is highly similar to Absurdism. I'd encourage those interested in Absurdism to look into Zen as well. You're essentially getting both Western and Eastern perspectives on the same issue.
I agree with you totally 3789 and you have stated it well. The absurdist view is an observation. It's a Zen-like awareness that doesn't require faith, belief, opinion, fact, or logic. Just awareness of what is. Zen is east and absurdism is west and the twain has definitely met.
I ascribe to existentialism, and reject the other two. Yes, our lives have no inherent meaning, and we must create that meaning ourselves. But when we create that meaning - it is created. Our essence is now real, because we brought it into being. I use the example of a marriage: If you meet someone new and have an awkward 2-minute conversation, then walk away from that person forever, nothing is significantly lost. However, if you meet someone new, and have a fulfilling 30-year marriage with them, you can’t just walk away without losing something of deep value. The essence of that marriage has become real through your actions, and has gained meaning - a genuine meaning that isn’t absurd to value.
I agree. Absurdism basically creates a problem then acts heroic for solving it. By insisting on approaching the world through a purely rational lens they fail to find meaning, and of course they do meaning is irrational and human. Meaning is love and beauty and justice and things worth struggling for. Rationality isn't the only tool in humanities toolbox, yet many people foolishly try to find meaning through pure reason. Meaning is a function of our own humanity not of logical reasoning
"Absurdism creates a problem and then acts heroic for solving it." Very true, where Existentialism claims that the universe is simply without meaning. Absurdism claims that the universe is in direct contradiction with the human need for meaning. It operates the same way Schopenhauer does, lower your reader's expectations to the lowest possible point so as that any thing that follows will be a net positive. The issue here is that Camus fails to acknowledge that people NEED meaning in order to find any significance in their own lives. In fact, id go as far as to say that the way we use the word "meaning" in the philosophical context is interchangeable with the words "significance" and "value" because those are the semantics that are evoked when discussing the existential problem. Meaning is uniquely tied to our existence because we are the only beings capable of self-reflecting enough to ascribe meaning, value and significance to things. Doing so does not doom you to the same intellectual pitfalls as Religion because finding something in the world to be meaningful does not require that you take a leap of faith. It just requires you to be human.
I read The Stranger my junior year in High School. That book resonated so much with me that it led me too research absurdism and existentialism. It gave me a respite of a mind numbing and mundane school life. It also motivated me in a weird way to try new things and be more social. I believe the best path for us is existentialism due to its alignment with constructive values of free will and responsibility. Not only do we have the free will to choose but the moral responsibility to choose a set of values that optimizes our life. The power that we have to choose for ourselves and not instill a preconceived notion of what is deemed moral is a daunting yet liberating and I would say honorable pursuit. You choose to be a good person not because a deity, an institution, or your parents told you to. You choose to be a good person because that’s what you define yourself as. That’s self empowering. Nihilism is the easy way out and an attractive philosophy. The reason why I never bought it was due to all the great men and women that have accomplished extraordinary things despite the meaninglessness of life. Leonado da Vinci, Michelangelo, Alexander the Great, Nikola Tesla, Galileo, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Van Gogh, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart. All the great civilizations, inventions, etc. Even our ancestors are amazing for surviving and now you get to watch this video and read this. p.s. listen to The Blue Danube and all the great stuff humans have accomplished.
Concur. Even the father of Existentialism, Friedrich Nietzsche, came to the conclusion that the best answer in the face of Nihilism was to become what he called an "Active Nihilist;" someone who sees lack of meaning as an opportunity to actively apply their own meaning by seeking greater understanding through evaluation. This "Active Nihilist" was the earliest description of a true "Existentialist," before the term "Existentialism" was coined.
Before I knew of the scholarly definition of Absurdism... I dealt with my own Existential issues by creating "Fuk it ism".... which is essentially Absurdism
Camus #1 for me, ever since I first encountered him in my own philosophy/theology degree back in the 1980's. The world just does what it does. That's it. I dont find such a point of view to be bleak, depressing, cold etc .... as many people tell me I should. I actually find it intensely liberating. The general human condition seems to crave not only meaning, but comprehension, a need to be right and also to assume a significant place in the universe. Those 4 elements combined have caused untold suffering throughout history.
Those things that drive humanity to better themselves, to march towards a vision of the world, to say to their fellow man "you have meaning". This is the cause of untold suffering? This conclusion is absurd but not in a good way. Anyway why care that the world has suffering? After all there is no meaning in any state, suffering or otherwise.
@@user-fd8fe9hk9qAt least, from an absurdist perspective. Existialism would create meaning to end the suffering for the sake of making life worth living by increasing its innate worth or value.
I dont think Nihilism is dark. I dont life a less happy life, just because i know there is no higher meaning. Its just that the one romantic fantasy of being something special isnt fulfilled.
@@shawnmurphy3518there are different sets of nihilism similarly to how there are separate sets of any religion. You're taking a pessimistic view of nihilism and applying that to all of nihilism. Read more about it, try to come at the thought at a different angle.
Glad I clicked at this video. I dislike abstract ideologies. Hoping, praying on the unknown is suffering for me. I wanna stay grounded in the present, though, that's were meaning comes into play. Which is also a bad thing cause what if you can never find one; again with troubling one mind. Never actually tried to learn about existentialism or absurdism. Your video said as much info as it needed for me, to get the "interest" to learn more about them. Thanks
I'm glad you enjoyed, I try to find a sweet spot between overloading with info and saying enough for people to learn and become interested. These are just three possible answers to the lack of inherent meaning, but we are free to pick and choose our own parts and refuse any labels.
Bemoaning the death of God is bemoaning the passing of childhood. The quest for "meaning" is the secret plea of the learned to the universe that we not be left in charge of our own affairs.
The best course of action in my eyes is a quote from Rust Cohle, the pessimist, in True Detective where his partner Marty asks “what’s the point in getting up in the morning”. Cohle responds “ I tell myself I bear witness. But the real answer is that it's obviously my programming. And I lack the constitution for suicide.” Bearing witness to this Clownworld we live in and enjoying the uncertainty perhaps.
I'm from Indonesia. I agree with your comment, but not your conclusion. Pessimism is an underrated, minority philosophy that most people in this world don't seem to understand completely, which is understandable somewhat ironically (& unfortunately), because it's due to survival instinct, which is inherent & part of the human's nature. Your conclusion (& most comments here) still have this optimism bias ("enjoying the uncertainty"), which in reality, it's not always have a happy-endings. Some people are lucky, some people are not. It's a simple fact/truth/reality, but in today's world, most people will even deny it, because of our toxic positivity modern culture. In conclusion, Pessimism has its own valid, logical reasons (eg: also including other important philosophies such as: Antinatalism, Efilism, Pro-mortalism, Depressive Realism, etc etc etc).
@@NikiWonoto26 yes depends on your character perhaps to how you look at uncertainty. Do we give it out to the universe and trust it, or do we continually fret about what could happen. However, if the undesirable event never happens, have we wasted our time worrying about nothing.
I don't understand what people who talk like this do all day. If you don't make goals, connections, and meaning from your life then sure the only thing you have left is to end it or just watch and do nothing. But that's on you, you don't have to be that way?
Personally, I call myself an existential absurdist. This is to say I do not believe in intrinsic meaning, however our personal experiences,emotions and relationships constitute a wholly personal albeit admittedly subjective meaning that is all the more precious because it is our own.
Why not believe in objective meaning? It's a pretty useful way to fortify yourself against moments where your subjective experience is so negative that you fail to drive meaning from it, which happens to people regularly from my experience and observation. Is there something inherently wrong about belief? Idk why people treat belief like a taboo or something, its necessary to humanity. There is many things people believe in implicitly, yet I rarely hear people say they belief in something without the need to rationalize it. Even the religious too often pretend to have rationally arrived at their conclusions. In my view the ability to believe is a sign of strength of a person's will
@@catologic Its not so much belief that is a philosophical problem. Its more about choosing what to believe in. For example, would you believe the man with all the evidence or the man claiming it was aliens? Either one could be right or wrong, but its more about playing to the likelihoods of which is more likely to be true. Faith or belief is not wrong, but blind faith or belief is a different story.
It's all existentialism. The way to understand existentialism is a simple question: Do you believe your consciousness precedes your physical existence or proceeds your physical existence? If you believe it proceeds from your physical existence you are an existentialist. All this grew from the discovery of dialectic logic that essentially posits change in an infinite linear manner. That is the thesis attracts its antithesis which causes both to be destroyed in contradiction from which a synthesis arises and becomes the new thesis and the process begins again but in a linear manner of endless change. Do you believe anything is possible? Than you are in a state of dialectic logic. Reality is not linear, it is cycles/process (think of a Yin/Yang as symbolic of this). A tree seed becomes a tree which produces more tree seeds and not, say, a human baby (so anything is not possible). Nihilism and absurdism are simply forms of existentialism of which the difference is merely a view of "will" and not really anything else. Read the Philosopher Ichazo for a more detailed explanation.
What makes the dichotomy between material existence proceeded by consciousness and visa verse necessary? Is it not an equally unprovable possibility that they both came about simultaneously?
Between existentialism and absurdism... people have to give their life a meaning... but what if tore apart from that meaning? They would continue to give a meaning... and go on until they are tired... perhaps they may even start thinking that life have no meaning anymore. I think what's beauty in the absurd is the idea that no matter where we end up in life there will always be something waiting for us down the road. Whether they are pleasant or unpleasant, that is that. In the eyes of many, only a fool would dare to trick Gods. But that fool may be happy than anyone else because they achieved something no one could.
I’m having trouble distinguishing between Absurdism and Existentialism. Is a human not defining an existential meaning by rebelling as an absurdist? And isn’t defining one’s own meaning a form of embracing the absurd, taking it head on and rebelling against the human condition? It seems they are really the same and not really that profound. It seems Camus embraces the “existential-ness” of the choice to embrace the absurd (human condition), while not addressing the moral implications of it, while Sartre emphasizes moral heroism in defining meaning in one’s place in the absurd, while not getting hung up on the moment of his existential rebellion. Given the nature and demise of the two philosopher’s relationship and the French/Algerian conflict, I’m catching a whiff of retribution on behalf of Camus, and a kind of rebellion against the French and their philosophical hero, the existentialist himself, Sartre, and also toward a the overall popular French philosophical milieu of the time. They both step into the river of Wu Wei, and borrow and sell off the convenient parts of acceptance (Taoism) as their own like many western philosophers and psychologists. What!? I said it. They might as well fully embrace the absurd, and borrow from Wittgenstein, and lump the whole problem of the meaning of existence as not a philosophical problem and more of a language problem. Oh lord, they will talk and the language games will go on!
Kind of new to all this and trying to wrap my head around it. So even tho I find no meaning in my job or the life I'm living according to absurdism, I'm just supposed to go along with it and be happy about my meaningless job and life? Sorry if I'm missing something and sound dumb
Yes, that’s exactly what it meant. I have been a nihilist for quite a while, but now I want to find some meaning in my life. I have considered suicide, but I don't want to because of my parents. However, looking into existentialism has made me realize that I should create my own meaning in life rather than choosing philosophical or physical suicide
I don't understand. My gut seems to disagree with both absurdism and existentialism. I feel as though there is a flaw in the foundation of both the beliefs. For now everything seems like a big nothing.
I side with absurdism, and search for one's personal class, search for proper experimental understanding of the world so as some fearless can be achieved. We all have context, but living and the quality of life are choices one has to define for himself and then adhere to them, stop lying to self, face fears. Nihilism is extremely stupid and pointless for the proponent himself.
why embracing a religion (Christian for exp) is “philosophical suicide “ when basically all philosophical idea are actually grown upon it, You have to have a god to be dead at the first place. I doubt those embracing another two options wouldn’t practice them when it comes to serious events like wedding and funeral. People still embrace religion in one way or another cuz it’s too inhumane to not to do so. Atheism is more like a heresy of Protestantism. Really thought provoking videos by the way.
I agree it that the basis of nihilism largely comes from religion in that the shock we had from abandoning religion gave us the dread. I see 'philosophical suicide' as acknowledging that yet still turning back around and doubling down, as it were, on religion. Glad you enjoyed!
@@SorrowisKnowledgePhilosophy this still doesn't explain why it should be considered philosophical suicide. These guys basically just said, "yeah what we're doing is philosophy cuz it's cool and new and edgy, but that religion stuff? Nah you cant do that anymore it's totally square" If anything is a dead end it's philosophies like these. They don't give birth to nations, empires, cultures, histories, communities, ect in the way that religions have throughout history. The biggest things that what came out of philosophies without higher meaning are dreary regimes like the ccp, Nazis, and soviets.
@@user-fd8fe9hk9qI believe it's because you're giving up in a philosophical sense you will no longer be in control because you're using religion for your morals values and your conduct of life even though there is no proof no real answer with religion since it's not proven and at worse it's just a delusion to deal with the absurd
Absurdism is also a leap of faith - it posits to remove ambiguity about the existence of meaning and resolves the question _by fiat_ - answering it in the negative without any proof, essentially by making a leap of faith in the opposite direction. Thus, it too falls under the given definition of "philosophical suicide".
well, the leap of faith in any of these philosophies is that there is no god, which cant be proven or disproven, but this doesnt matter, becuase absurdism is still usefull for living a happy fulfilling life, regardless if god is real or not, its too late to find true fatih now
@@midas01tw in what way is active disbelief in meaning helpful or useful in practical life? Religion has birthed cultures, empires, communities, families. Choosing to believe in nothing births nothing. Also I don't see your reasoning for why a person or community that disbelieves in God can never believe in God again?
@@user-fd8fe9hk9q any form of existentialism or absurdism is better than passive nihlism becuase it isnt as pesimistic or depressing, and for the other point is is moreso that if someone has reached the point that they have no faith in god, it isnt impossible to regain faith, but it is mearly impossible to make the active choice to have faith in god if you dont believe in him anymore
There is no "best" course of action. There might be one that you like the most, but however you confront the absurd, whatever you believe and however you live the universe will not be there to slap your wrist for getting it wrong. And there will be no reward for getting it right. It's impossible to get it right or wrong, these concepts are as meaningless as everything else. So, there is no best answer.
This is only true in the philosophical abstract. In reality acting the wrong way can result is serious pain and loss. You can rationalize out meaning all day, it won't have any bearing on reality.
@@user-fd8fe9hk9q Of course, and the overwhelming majority of us would agree that we don't like pain and loss. But those are our judgments. If someone pursued exactly the things most of us try to avoid there's no real reason they'd be "wrong". And yea, as much as I hate that the worst people who've ever lived were not "wrong" or "bad" in any objective sense it's not as though we're "wrong" for judging that they are/were... I guess what I should have said is that we need to define what we mean when we say "best", and stay aware that it's only the "best" in the sense that we believe it's going to give the results we want. I find it neat how once you dig deep into it the only thing you can really conclude is that caring about this stuff is totally pointless lol.
@@tuffwith2effs899 Obviously value judgments are subjective I couldve told you that at 12, but why does subjectivity necessarily equate to pointless? Do you have objective proof of this claim? If not, what do you gain from insisting on it? You would likely be better off finding meaning in the world while your alive here its pretty damn useful. Alot more useful then looking at the world around you as completely absurd. Imagine your child telling you they love you and you saying, "Well that is simply pointless as there is no objective meaning that can be derived of it." Where absurdism fails is in its practical applicability to human life. These ideas are parlor trick of philosophy. Like knowing how high you would be able to jump on Pluto. Sure its probably true, why should i give a shit?
@@user-fd8fe9hk9q Why would you tell your kid that? There's no point living that way. You can accept the absurdity of your life and still live as if it's meaningful, at the least beautiful. "Revolt"? "We must imagine Sisyphus happy"? I wasn't into philosophy as a 12 year old, but I'm not so sure you understand Camus if that's the type of thing you're going to come at him with.
@@tuffwith2effs899 I didn't say you should tell kids that, I said I recognized that as a kid. And I wasn't replying to Camus I was replying to the comment you left. My point is that the realization that there is no objective meaning is not a sophisticated on and really has no bearing on reality. Your not going to act as if your value judgements are subjective in reality. Everyone advanced their interests as if they are objective regardless. Even Camus did they. Anyway many of these philosophers argue life is meaningless, what they really are saying is that life is subjective, but being edgy about it for attention
I only just separated my philosophy videos from my other channel (which is fountain pens etc) so I do hope this continues to grow with a strict focus on philosophy. We shall see
@@SorrowisKnowledgePhilosophy I really hope it does man! Just started reading about these topics and just finished nausea from sartre and before that i was reading the stranger from camus, existentialism and absurdism brings some kind of a comfort for this disturbing moment of my life i’m in, in a terrible existencial crisis and major depression, and knowing more about these topics helps me a bit and having such a nice video about this topic is nice, so keep up the great work man!
Be careful of RUclips philosophers. While they are useful for introducing very basic philosophy, they shouldn't be trusted for their, often times, loose interpretations. Read the texts instead of listening to someone's rendition of the texts. If you want to listen to someone, then I recommend the philosophers themselves in interviews or lectures, if modern enough to catch audio of them. Last resort would be to listen to philosophy lecturers or professors. For deep comprehension, stay away from these types of channels. Use them as diving boards, if needed, but don't rely on them. Do your own research.
Only the maker of your mobile phone can give you the purpose and meaning of your mobile phone. Same is with Maker of this life. It is not created from nothing, we did not create ourselves, we did not create the heavens and earth.
@@deanodog3667 it seems groups that work under the assumption of free will have dominated the world, while groups assuming it doesn't exist survive as outliers within those dominant groups. Call it what you like, but assuming and acting as though free will exists gets the W. There are plenty of other assumptions you make without evidence at all, the reason free will isn't one is cuz it's fun to make edgy points even though it's not really useful in any real sense
@@user-fd8fe9hk9q clearly you mean free will in a Christian sense? Is free will the same for the mentally disturbed or schizophrenia, have you the same free will you had as a 15 year old as you have when you're 60 ? Is free will a one size fits all or does it come in all different shapes and sizes??
Reduction of harm is your ONLY value? In that case no one should reproduce, since after there is no humans then that would end human suffering. Lol, I think there is a little more to being human then that. There are things I find worth suffering for, there are things I find worth fighting for.
Why does meaning need to be "proven" to be considered valid? I don't understand the conundrum these philosophers we're even trying to solve. Why insist attempting to live life purely through rational means? Why can't meaning be left an irrationally held belief? If it ain't broke don't fix it. No need to try to invent philosophies to navigate a world without meaning
After reading the Myth of Sisyphus and listening to many Alan Watts lectures, I've come to realize a striking parrallel between Absurdism and Zen. Of course Zen has its spiritual side to it, but the philosophical side of it is highly similar to Absurdism. I'd encourage those interested in Absurdism to look into Zen as well. You're essentially getting both Western and Eastern perspectives on the same issue.
I agree with you totally 3789 and you have stated it well. The absurdist view is an observation. It's a Zen-like awareness that doesn't require faith, belief, opinion, fact, or logic. Just awareness of what is. Zen is east and absurdism is west and the twain has definitely met.
I ascribe to existentialism, and reject the other two. Yes, our lives have no inherent meaning, and we must create that meaning ourselves. But when we create that meaning - it is created. Our essence is now real, because we brought it into being. I use the example of a marriage: If you meet someone new and have an awkward 2-minute conversation, then walk away from that person forever, nothing is significantly lost. However, if you meet someone new, and have a fulfilling 30-year marriage with them, you can’t just walk away without losing something of deep value. The essence of that marriage has become real through your actions, and has gained meaning - a genuine meaning that isn’t absurd to value.
I agree. Absurdism basically creates a problem then acts heroic for solving it. By insisting on approaching the world through a purely rational lens they fail to find meaning, and of course they do meaning is irrational and human. Meaning is love and beauty and justice and things worth struggling for. Rationality isn't the only tool in humanities toolbox, yet many people foolishly try to find meaning through pure reason. Meaning is a function of our own humanity not of logical reasoning
"Absurdism creates a problem and then acts heroic for solving it." Very true, where Existentialism claims that the universe is simply without meaning. Absurdism claims that the universe is in direct contradiction with the human need for meaning. It operates the same way Schopenhauer does, lower your reader's expectations to the lowest possible point so as that any thing that follows will be a net positive. The issue here is that Camus fails to acknowledge that people NEED meaning in order to find any significance in their own lives. In fact, id go as far as to say that the way we use the word "meaning" in the philosophical context is interchangeable with the words "significance" and "value" because those are the semantics that are evoked when discussing the existential problem. Meaning is uniquely tied to our existence because we are the only beings capable of self-reflecting enough to ascribe meaning, value and significance to things. Doing so does not doom you to the same intellectual pitfalls as Religion because finding something in the world to be meaningful does not require that you take a leap of faith. It just requires you to be human.
I read The Stranger my junior year in High School. That book resonated so much with me that it led me too research absurdism and existentialism. It gave me a respite of a mind numbing and mundane school life. It also motivated me in a weird way to try new things and be more social.
I believe the best path for us is existentialism due to its alignment with constructive values of free will and responsibility. Not only do we have the free will to choose but the moral responsibility to choose a set of values that optimizes our life.
The power that we have to choose for ourselves and not instill a preconceived notion of what is deemed moral is a daunting yet liberating and I would say honorable pursuit. You choose to be a good person not because a deity, an institution, or your parents told you to. You choose to be a good person because that’s what you define yourself as. That’s self empowering.
Nihilism is the easy way out and an attractive philosophy. The reason why I never bought it was due to all the great men and women that have accomplished extraordinary things despite the meaninglessness of life. Leonado da Vinci, Michelangelo, Alexander the Great, Nikola Tesla, Galileo, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Van Gogh, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart. All the great civilizations, inventions, etc. Even our ancestors are amazing for surviving and now you get to watch this video and read this.
p.s. listen to The Blue Danube and all the great stuff humans have accomplished.
Except for a few details, you could have been describing my path to existentialism. Nicely written, succinct summary!
Concur. Even the father of Existentialism, Friedrich Nietzsche, came to the conclusion that the best answer in the face of Nihilism was to become what he called an "Active Nihilist;" someone who sees lack of meaning as an opportunity to actively apply their own meaning by seeking greater understanding through evaluation. This "Active Nihilist" was the earliest description of a true "Existentialist," before the term "Existentialism" was coined.
"This may remind you of your life" that hits hard!
Before I knew of the scholarly definition of Absurdism... I dealt with my own Existential issues by creating "Fuk it ism".... which is essentially Absurdism
Camus #1 for me, ever since I first encountered him in my own philosophy/theology degree back in the 1980's.
The world just does what it does. That's it.
I dont find such a point of view to be bleak, depressing, cold etc .... as many people tell me I should.
I actually find it intensely liberating.
The general human condition seems to crave not only meaning, but comprehension, a need to be right and also to assume a significant place in the universe. Those 4 elements combined have caused untold suffering throughout history.
Those things that drive humanity to better themselves, to march towards a vision of the world, to say to their fellow man "you have meaning". This is the cause of untold suffering? This conclusion is absurd but not in a good way. Anyway why care that the world has suffering? After all there is no meaning in any state, suffering or otherwise.
@@user-fd8fe9hk9qAt least, from an absurdist perspective. Existialism would create meaning to end the suffering for the sake of making life worth living by increasing its innate worth or value.
I dont think Nihilism is dark. I dont life a less happy life, just because i know there is no higher meaning. Its just that the one romantic fantasy of being something special isnt fulfilled.
Nihilism is dark. Very dark. It's that NOTHING matters, even happiness. Do you pursue happiness?
@@shawnmurphy3518there are different sets of nihilism similarly to how there are separate sets of any religion. You're taking a pessimistic view of nihilism and applying that to all of nihilism. Read more about it, try to come at the thought at a different angle.
thx for your work , good stuff
good voice timing tone texture
good short simple summaries
to the point , good value
64yr old seeker still learning
So glad you enjoyed it, learning never ends, I look forward to the wisdom that comes with lived experience and understanding my own place in it all.
The Myth of Sisyphus is a more uplifting piece of writing than all the religious texts in the world put together. A thoughtful and insightful video.
Glad I clicked at this video.
I dislike abstract ideologies. Hoping, praying on the unknown is suffering for me. I wanna stay grounded in the present, though, that's were meaning comes into play. Which is also a bad thing cause what if you can never find one; again with troubling one mind.
Never actually tried to learn about existentialism or absurdism. Your video said as much info as it needed for me, to get the "interest" to learn more about them.
Thanks
I'm glad you enjoyed, I try to find a sweet spot between overloading with info and saying enough for people to learn and become interested.
These are just three possible answers to the lack of inherent meaning, but we are free to pick and choose our own parts and refuse any labels.
Bemoaning the death of God is bemoaning the passing of childhood. The quest for "meaning" is the secret plea of the learned to the universe that we not be left in charge of our own affairs.
The best course of action in my eyes is a quote from Rust Cohle, the pessimist, in True Detective where his partner Marty asks “what’s the point in getting up in the morning”.
Cohle responds “ I tell myself I bear witness. But the real answer is that it's obviously my programming. And I lack the constitution for suicide.”
Bearing witness to this Clownworld we live in and enjoying the uncertainty perhaps.
Probably the greatest series ever made, must have watched it at least 5 times through by now!
@@SorrowisKnowledgePhilosophy same
I'm from Indonesia. I agree with your comment, but not your conclusion. Pessimism is an underrated, minority philosophy that most people in this world don't seem to understand completely, which is understandable somewhat ironically (& unfortunately), because it's due to survival instinct, which is inherent & part of the human's nature. Your conclusion (& most comments here) still have this optimism bias ("enjoying the uncertainty"), which in reality, it's not always have a happy-endings. Some people are lucky, some people are not. It's a simple fact/truth/reality, but in today's world, most people will even deny it, because of our toxic positivity modern culture. In conclusion, Pessimism has its own valid, logical reasons (eg: also including other important philosophies such as: Antinatalism, Efilism, Pro-mortalism, Depressive Realism, etc etc etc).
@@NikiWonoto26 yes depends on your character perhaps to how you look at uncertainty. Do we give it out to the universe and trust it, or do we continually fret about what could happen. However, if the undesirable event never happens, have we wasted our time worrying about nothing.
I don't understand what people who talk like this do all day. If you don't make goals, connections, and meaning from your life then sure the only thing you have left is to end it or just watch and do nothing. But that's on you, you don't have to be that way?
Excellent video. There are all kinds of meanings and purposes up to the ultimate purpose of survival.
Personally, I call myself an existential absurdist. This is to say I do not believe in intrinsic meaning, however our personal experiences,emotions and relationships constitute a wholly personal albeit admittedly subjective meaning that is all the more precious because it is our own.
Why not believe in objective meaning? It's a pretty useful way to fortify yourself against moments where your subjective experience is so negative that you fail to drive meaning from it, which happens to people regularly from my experience and observation. Is there something inherently wrong about belief? Idk why people treat belief like a taboo or something, its necessary to humanity. There is many things people believe in implicitly, yet I rarely hear people say they belief in something without the need to rationalize it. Even the religious too often pretend to have rationally arrived at their conclusions. In my view the ability to believe is a sign of strength of a person's will
@@user-fd8fe9hk9q couldn't agree more, you lose nothing by believing in meaning
@@catologic Its not so much belief that is a philosophical problem. Its more about choosing what to believe in. For example, would you believe the man with all the evidence or the man claiming it was aliens? Either one could be right or wrong, but its more about playing to the likelihoods of which is more likely to be true. Faith or belief is not wrong, but blind faith or belief is a different story.
I agree with absurdism! Let it be what should be! That Is absurd to believe in anything.
Your voice is so delightful and triggers my ASMR.
It's all existentialism. The way to understand existentialism is a simple question: Do you believe your consciousness precedes your physical existence or proceeds your physical existence? If you believe it proceeds from your physical existence you are an existentialist. All this grew from the discovery of dialectic logic that essentially posits change in an infinite linear manner. That is the thesis attracts its antithesis which causes both to be destroyed in contradiction from which a synthesis arises and becomes the new thesis and the process begins again but in a linear manner of endless change. Do you believe anything is possible? Than you are in a state of dialectic logic. Reality is not linear, it is cycles/process (think of a Yin/Yang as symbolic of this). A tree seed becomes a tree which produces more tree seeds and not, say, a human baby (so anything is not possible). Nihilism and absurdism are simply forms of existentialism of which the difference is merely a view of "will" and not really anything else. Read the Philosopher Ichazo for a more detailed explanation.
What makes the dichotomy between material existence proceeded by consciousness and visa verse necessary? Is it not an equally unprovable possibility that they both came about simultaneously?
good video! made me understand the subject way more
Between existentialism and absurdism... people have to give their life a meaning... but what if tore apart from that meaning? They would continue to give a meaning... and go on until they are tired... perhaps they may even start thinking that life have no meaning anymore.
I think what's beauty in the absurd is the idea that no matter where we end up in life there will always be something waiting for us down the road. Whether they are pleasant or unpleasant, that is that.
In the eyes of many, only a fool would dare to trick Gods. But that fool may be happy than anyone else because they achieved something no one could.
Great video!
I’m having trouble distinguishing between Absurdism and Existentialism. Is a human not defining an existential meaning by rebelling as an absurdist? And isn’t defining one’s own meaning a form of embracing the absurd, taking it head on and rebelling against the human condition? It seems they are really the same and not really that profound.
It seems Camus embraces the “existential-ness” of the choice to embrace the absurd (human condition), while not addressing the moral implications of it, while Sartre emphasizes moral heroism in defining meaning in one’s place in the absurd, while not getting hung up on the moment of his existential rebellion.
Given the nature and demise of the two philosopher’s relationship and the French/Algerian conflict, I’m catching a whiff of retribution on behalf of Camus, and a kind of rebellion against the French and their philosophical hero, the existentialist himself, Sartre, and also toward a the overall popular French philosophical milieu of the time.
They both step into the river of Wu Wei, and borrow and sell off the convenient parts of acceptance (Taoism) as their own like many western philosophers and psychologists. What!? I said it.
They might as well fully embrace the absurd, and borrow from Wittgenstein, and lump the whole problem of the meaning of existence as not a philosophical problem and more of a language problem. Oh lord, they will talk and the language games will go on!
Great explanation. Absurdism is my cup of tea.
It's NOT Daniel Meisler who says there are 3 components of Nihilism, Camu says that about Absurdism.
Kind of new to all this and trying to wrap my head around it. So even tho I find no meaning in my job or the life I'm living according to absurdism, I'm just supposed to go along with it and be happy about my meaningless job and life? Sorry if I'm missing something and sound dumb
Yes, that’s exactly what it meant. I have been a nihilist for quite a while, but now I want to find some meaning in my life. I have considered suicide, but I don't want to because of my parents. However, looking into existentialism has made me realize that I should create my own meaning in life rather than choosing philosophical or physical suicide
Great vid!
I don't understand. My gut seems to disagree with both absurdism and existentialism. I feel as though there is a flaw in the foundation of both the beliefs. For now everything seems like a big nothing.
Great video…but curious how you seem
to drop the first ‘s’ in the pronunciation existentialism other than one or two times towards the end.
I swear the more takes I recorded the harder the word became 🤦🏻♂️
I think the Living Philosophy literally did this topic about a year ago… so
The new Sisyphus channel I see
Thank you.
So is the consumption of marijuana and intoxicants absurdism or nihilism- both simultaneously?
Ultimate sorrow is ultimate pleasure.
The real question is why is there a intrinsic search for meaning at all ?
I side with absurdism, and search for one's personal class, search for proper experimental understanding of the world so as some fearless can be achieved. We all have context, but living and the quality of life are choices one has to define for himself and then adhere to them, stop lying to self, face fears. Nihilism is extremely stupid and pointless for the proponent himself.
Your entire video was absurd and ultimately meaningless. Thank you I greatly enjoyed it. Swell stuff. Keep pushing them boulders uphill.
Don't kill yourself. It is always to late. Emil Cioran.
why embracing a religion (Christian for exp) is “philosophical suicide “ when basically all philosophical idea are actually grown upon it, You have to have a god to be dead at the first place. I doubt those embracing another two options wouldn’t practice them when it comes to serious events like wedding and funeral. People still embrace religion in one way or another cuz it’s too inhumane to not to do so. Atheism is more like a heresy of Protestantism. Really thought provoking videos by the way.
I agree it that the basis of nihilism largely comes from religion in that the shock we had from abandoning religion gave us the dread. I see 'philosophical suicide' as acknowledging that yet still turning back around and doubling down, as it were, on religion. Glad you enjoyed!
@@SorrowisKnowledgePhilosophy this still doesn't explain why it should be considered philosophical suicide. These guys basically just said, "yeah what we're doing is philosophy cuz it's cool and new and edgy, but that religion stuff? Nah you cant do that anymore it's totally square" If anything is a dead end it's philosophies like these. They don't give birth to nations, empires, cultures, histories, communities, ect in the way that religions have throughout history. The biggest things that what came out of philosophies without higher meaning are dreary regimes like the ccp, Nazis, and soviets.
@@user-fd8fe9hk9qI believe it's because you're giving up in a philosophical sense you will no longer be in control because you're using religion for your morals values and your conduct of life even though there is no proof no real answer with religion since it's not proven and at worse it's just a delusion to deal with the absurd
Have none of these people ever looked into the eyes of someone that loved them.
3:57 someone please tell me this song.
I'm a Vapillandist. That's my category.
Absurdism. In our times
Resourcefull
+1 follow. Awesome video.
Deep
Absurdism is also a leap of faith - it posits to remove ambiguity about the existence of meaning and resolves the question _by fiat_ - answering it in the negative without any proof, essentially by making a leap of faith in the opposite direction. Thus, it too falls under the given definition of "philosophical suicide".
well, the leap of faith in any of these philosophies is that there is no god, which cant be proven or disproven, but this doesnt matter, becuase absurdism is still usefull for living a happy fulfilling life, regardless if god is real or not, its too late to find true fatih now
@@midas01tw in what way is active disbelief in meaning helpful or useful in practical life? Religion has birthed cultures, empires, communities, families. Choosing to believe in nothing births nothing. Also I don't see your reasoning for why a person or community that disbelieves in God can never believe in God again?
@@user-fd8fe9hk9q any form of existentialism or absurdism is better than passive nihlism becuase it isnt as pesimistic or depressing, and for the other point is is moreso that if someone has reached the point that they have no faith in god, it isnt impossible to regain faith, but it is mearly impossible to make the active choice to have faith in god if you dont believe in him anymore
You forgot about Pessimism.
Resistance is futile
I'm an absurd existentialist with nihilist leanings.
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There is no "best" course of action. There might be one that you like the most, but however you confront the absurd, whatever you believe and however you live the universe will not be there to slap your wrist for getting it wrong. And there will be no reward for getting it right. It's impossible to get it right or wrong, these concepts are as meaningless as everything else. So, there is no best answer.
This is only true in the philosophical abstract. In reality acting the wrong way can result is serious pain and loss. You can rationalize out meaning all day, it won't have any bearing on reality.
@@user-fd8fe9hk9q Of course, and the overwhelming majority of us would agree that we don't like pain and loss. But those are our judgments. If someone pursued exactly the things most of us try to avoid there's no real reason they'd be "wrong". And yea, as much as I hate that the worst people who've ever lived were not "wrong" or "bad" in any objective sense it's not as though we're "wrong" for judging that they are/were... I guess what I should have said is that we need to define what we mean when we say "best", and stay aware that it's only the "best" in the sense that we believe it's going to give the results we want. I find it neat how once you dig deep into it the only thing you can really conclude is that caring about this stuff is totally pointless lol.
@@tuffwith2effs899 Obviously value judgments are subjective I couldve told you that at 12, but why does subjectivity necessarily equate to pointless? Do you have objective proof of this claim? If not, what do you gain from insisting on it? You would likely be better off finding meaning in the world while your alive here its pretty damn useful. Alot more useful then looking at the world around you as completely absurd. Imagine your child telling you they love you and you saying, "Well that is simply pointless as there is no objective meaning that can be derived of it." Where absurdism fails is in its practical applicability to human life. These ideas are parlor trick of philosophy. Like knowing how high you would be able to jump on Pluto. Sure its probably true, why should i give a shit?
@@user-fd8fe9hk9q Why would you tell your kid that? There's no point living that way. You can accept the absurdity of your life and still live as if it's meaningful, at the least beautiful. "Revolt"? "We must imagine Sisyphus happy"? I wasn't into philosophy as a 12 year old, but I'm not so sure you understand Camus if that's the type of thing you're going to come at him with.
@@tuffwith2effs899 I didn't say you should tell kids that, I said I recognized that as a kid. And I wasn't replying to Camus I was replying to the comment you left. My point is that the realization that there is no objective meaning is not a sophisticated on and really has no bearing on reality. Your not going to act as if your value judgements are subjective in reality. Everyone advanced their interests as if they are objective regardless. Even Camus did they. Anyway many of these philosophers argue life is meaningless, what they really are saying is that life is subjective, but being edgy about it for attention
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Drip the labels !
There is no meaning to life so just have a good time and make jokes and listen to good music.
And make money I am trying to but can’t ahahahahav😂 what an absurd I am
only 716 subscribers?
I only just separated my philosophy videos from my other channel (which is fountain pens etc) so I do hope this continues to grow with a strict focus on philosophy. We shall see
@@SorrowisKnowledgePhilosophy I really hope it does man! Just started reading about these topics and just finished nausea from sartre and before that i was reading the stranger from camus, existentialism and absurdism brings some kind of a comfort for this disturbing moment of my life i’m in, in a terrible existencial crisis and major depression, and knowing more about these topics helps me a bit and having such a nice video about this topic is nice, so keep up the great work man!
Be careful of RUclips philosophers. While they are useful for introducing very basic philosophy, they shouldn't be trusted for their, often times, loose interpretations.
Read the texts instead of listening to someone's rendition of the texts. If you want to listen to someone, then I recommend the philosophers themselves in interviews or lectures, if modern enough to catch audio of them. Last resort would be to listen to philosophy lecturers or professors.
For deep comprehension, stay away from these types of channels. Use them as diving boards, if needed, but don't rely on them. Do your own research.
Rus subs would be great :D
Only the maker of your mobile phone can give you the purpose and meaning of your mobile phone. Same is with Maker of this life.
It is not created from nothing, we did not create ourselves, we did not create the heavens and earth.
∴ Sex, drugs, and rock and roll 🤘
😇
Absurd
Swallow the tainted soup
Free will is a myth
Some myths are worth believing in
@@user-fd8fe9hk9q still make believe and wishful thinking though!
@@deanodog3667 it seems groups that work under the assumption of free will have dominated the world, while groups assuming it doesn't exist survive as outliers within those dominant groups. Call it what you like, but assuming and acting as though free will exists gets the W. There are plenty of other assumptions you make without evidence at all, the reason free will isn't one is cuz it's fun to make edgy points even though it's not really useful in any real sense
@@user-fd8fe9hk9q clearly you mean free will in a Christian sense? Is free will the same for the mentally disturbed or schizophrenia, have you the same free will you had as a 15 year old as you have when you're 60 ? Is free will a one size fits all or does it come in all different shapes and sizes??
It boils down to don’t harm others and go from there for me. No heaven, hell, God, meaning necessary. Sorry to be simplistic, carry on now
Reduction of harm is your ONLY value? In that case no one should reproduce, since after there is no humans then that would end human suffering. Lol, I think there is a little more to being human then that. There are things I find worth suffering for, there are things I find worth fighting for.
this is absurdist propaganda, I liked it
The whole point of absurdism is that you don’t accept the absurd.
"Condemned to be free"?
What a stupid sentence,❗
😡 ƤＲＯ𝓂Ｏ𝕤ᗰ
Why does meaning need to be "proven" to be considered valid? I don't understand the conundrum these philosophers we're even trying to solve. Why insist attempting to live life purely through rational means? Why can't meaning be left an irrationally held belief? If it ain't broke don't fix it. No need to try to invent philosophies to navigate a world without meaning
Thank you for Islam
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