The Myth of Sisyphus is a 1942 philosophical work by Albert Camus. Influenced by philosophers such as Søren Kierkegaard, Arthur Schopenhauer, and Friedrich Nietzsche, Camus introduces his philosophy o
Cover of the first edition
Absurdism is the philosophical theory that the universe is irrational and meaningless. It states that trying to find meaning leads people into conflict with a seemingly meaningless world. This conflic
The Myth of Sisyphus
…Albert Camus. Influenced by philosophers such as Søren Kierkegaard, Arthur Schopenhauer, and Friedrich Nietzsche, Camus introduces his philosophy of the absurd. The absurd lies in the juxtaposition between the fundamental human need to attribute meaning to life and the "unreasonable silence" of the universe…
Sisyphus, the symbol of the absurdity of existence, painting by Franz Stuck (1920)
Thomas Nagel examined the nature of the absurd, considering arguments and responses to it.
Franz Kafka's book The Trial (German: Der Prozess) examines the absurdity of life through the lens of an impenetrable judicial system.
Kierkegaard designed the relationship framework based (in part) on how a person reacts to despair. Absurdist philosophy fits into the 'despair of defiance' rubric.