The absurd does not make sense.
Absurd is that which lacks meaning or is opposite or inverse to reason . The concept, derived from the Latin absurdus , also refers to the strange, strange, crazy , illogical or senseless.
In logic , absurdity appears when a series of propositions inevitably leads to the denial or refutation of each one of them.
Philosophy of the absurd
The philosophy of absurdity or absurdism is based on the nonexistence of the predetermined and absolute meaning of the universe with respect to man; All efforts by human beings to know the origin of the Universe and those absolute questions are in vain since there is no answer to these questions that can be understood by our nature.
It is characterized by its skeptical condition towards the principles of life and the creation of the world, ensuring that existence has no meaning and that there is no marked destiny, so all human beings have the right to freedom and to trace our own destiny. own way.
For many people, recording an event with a camera and not seeing it live with the naked eye seems absurd.
Its link with existentialism
Absurdism is linked to existentialism , although they are not identical movements. The French philosopher and writer Albert Camus was the promoter of absurdism after moving away from the existentialist movement. The foundations of this philosophical theory can be found in some of his works, such as " The Stranger " , where the author states that all life is insignificant and that its value depends exclusively on what human beings give it. In this way, existence is a constant cycle that repeats itself in a useless way , driven by tradition rather than something authentic and absolutely different from what is known.
This theory became popular after World War II, and many existentialist philosophers relied on it; Possibly the reason for this is that the sadness that the war left in its wake generated great skepticism about people's lives, and the only way to continue living was to take a stance of the ephemeral to prevent that unease from spreading. became even more intense.
The absurd in culture
Several cultural movements have appealed to the absurd, such as pataphysics , which emerged in the mid- 20th century . It is a kind of parody science that studies imaginary solutions and the laws that regulate exceptions.
Absurd humor is a type of comedy that uses absurd facts to make the audience laugh. The English group Monty Python , which performed between 1969 and 1983 , is one of the most famous exponents.
The theater of the absurd , meanwhile, is a concept that is used to name the works created by some playwrights in the 1940s , 1950s and 1960s .
Its importance in literature
In literature, absurdity is used to refer to a technique or style that consists of appealing to components that do not have coherence within a context with logical predictability. This is quite common in parody and humor . In any case, it is necessary to clarify that for a text to be considered absurd it does not necessarily have to have humorous or illogical elements, nor do it have to have characters who do not have a good command of reason.
What makes a text absurd is the perspective of reasoning that the author imposes; That is, when the irrational character of life is recorded, the lack of coherence in our existence and other issues that border more on the philosophical than the fictional . Therefore, we can say that an absolutely sane story that has an undertone of irrationality can be considered absurd. In order to decide if a text is absurd, in short, it is enough to analyze the reflection that the text offers: if this is contradictory or even ridiculous, then we cannot have doubts about it.