Absurdism and Nihilism
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Jan Lendl Uy Sir Jay Flores Introduction to Philosophy of The
Uy 1 Jan Lendl Uy Sir Jay Flores Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person 1 April 2018 Comparative Philosophical Analysis on Man’s Existential Purpose: Camus vs. Marcel The purpose of man’s existence has been a topic of study and debate ever since the dawn of philosophy during the time of ancient Greece. This topic is quite broad and complex as the purpose of man differs in perspective. Throughout the course of many eras, philosophers continuously sought for the true essence of human existence. As of today, there is still no definite answer to this as we, humans, remain divided by our own beliefs. This divide roots back from the varying views of philosophers who expressed their own interpretation of man’s existence, backed up by thorough research and lifelong studies. Among many views, there are two particular philosophical perspectives which are prominent for their contrasting qualities: existentialism and absurdism. Existentialism proposes that the individual has free will, which means he has the capacity to create his own purpose in life. According to Jones College, the existentialist view illustrates that humans are thinking beings who are capable of living in independence. We shape our own lives. The individual is free to choose what to believe in and is solely responsible for every decision and action made. Existentialism puts forward the idea that man is an independent being who has the freedom to make its own interpretation of the purpose of existence. Uy 2 Leonora Cohen, in explains that, in the existentialist view, the world does not have an inherent meaning (2). -
A Sociological Study of Nihilism: a Case Study
International Journal of Liberal Arts and Social Science ISSN: 2307-924X www.ijlass.org A Sociological Study of Nihilism: A Case Study Jahangir Jahangiri, PhD Assistant Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology and Social Planning, Faculty of Social Sciences, Shiraz University, Eram Place, Shiraz, Fars, Iran Code Postal: 7194685115 Email: [email protected] Rayehe Ghareh M.A in Sociology, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran Email: [email protected] Abstract The present research aims at studying nihilistic thoughts among students of Shiraz University. The framework of the research is Crosby’s theory about nihilism. The study is based on a quantitative approach and employs a survey method so as to collect the required data. Statistical population of the study is the whole Students of Shiraz University that according to the formal statistics consists of 20000 students. 400 students are selected by multistage sampling method. The results show that there is a significant relationship between the independent variables of gender, adherences to religious practices, fatalism, fear of failure, need for achievement and the dependent variable nihilism. Stepwise regression method used to predict the dependent variable. Ordinarily, five variables of fatalism, fear of failure, Adherences to religious practices, gender and need for achievement could predict 33% of dependent variable (R2=0.338) Key Words: Nihilism, Sociology, University Students, Shiraz University, Iran Introduction Undoubtedly, the most fundamental question that every human being faces with, is about the purpose of life. Not only modern human, but also pre-modern human beings have been encountered with this question. The intolerable journey from birth to death, and relentless onslaughts of hopelessness and despair, persuade every human to answer the question, as possible. -
Rereading Joseph Heller?S Catch-22 from the Viewpoint of Existential
Uluslararası Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi The Journal of International Social Research Cilt: 10 Sayı: 49 Volume: 10 Issue: 49 Nisan 2017 April 2017 www.sosyalarastirmalar.com Issn: 1307-9581 REREADING JOSEPH HELLER’S CATCH-22 FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF EXISTENTIAL PHILOSOPHY AND CAMUS’ ABSURDISM Mehmet Recep TAŞ * Abstract Published in 1961, Joseph Heller's Catch-22 came into prominence among important American novels of the twentieth century. It coined a new expression that connotes the illogical, inconsistent and irrational situations. It deals with the absurdities and unsolvable paradoxical policies of the state’s policymaking groups that drive the individuals into a meaningless, absurdist worldview. It is likely as well to assert that Catch-22 is a novel, which reflects and promote an existential worldview. However, this worldview is closer to Sartre’s standpoint than that of Camus’. Considering the novel, the existential philosophy of Sartre (which suggests that we're able to basically invent meanings of our own) and Camus’ absurdism (which suggests that the search for meaning is in itself both absurd and determined to fail, so; we should embrace the absurd and find happiness in it), this article aims to underline the importance of adopting the existential philosophy of Sartre for the individuals to cope with the sense of nihilism when confronted with the absurdities of today’s world policy making groups. Keywords: Catch-22, Absurdism, Camus, Existentialism, Sartre. INTRODUCTION In order to understand and evaluate a novel written decades before the time in which we live, contrary to New Critics who focus merely on the form dismissing the historical back ground of the work and the experiences by which the author has created the work, it is essential to have a look on social, political issues and the zeitgeist of the period. -
Master's Degree Project in Cognitive Neuroscience University of Skövde Advance Level
1 THE ANTECEDENTS OF FREE WILL – THE IMPORTANCE OF CONCEPT HETEROGENEITY IN RESEARCH INTERPRETATION AND DISCUSSION Master’s Degree Project in Cognitive Neuroscience University of Skövde Advance level - 30 ECTS Spring term 2018 Magnus J.C. Jensen Supervisor: Antti Revonsuo Examiner: Petri Kajonius 2 Abstract Scientific research on free will was started by Libet et al. (1982). They detected that the readiness potential (RP) proceeded urges with up to 350ms. One interpretation of the RP was that it represented motor planning. The research progress of antecedent brain activity in relation to conscious urges is investigated by looking at contemporary studies. How different assumptions and definitions of the free will concept influences interpretation of these studies is also discussed. The evidence is in favor that the RP is not representing motor planning. Antecedent activity has been detected with numerous technologies, most notably fMRI- classifiers which have been used to predict decisions in advance. Scrutiny of these results reveals that the experimental setups are dependent on time-locking trials which may construe the results. It is shown that predictions based on probabilistic antecedents can be interpreted in numerous ways. The review shows that free will positions differ from each other on several factors, such as whether free will is either-or or exists on a spectrum. Some notable positions are not dependent on antecedent activity at all. The notion of control is one of the pivotal factors deciding if a subject experience free will, not if they are the causer per se. Future discussion will be improved by systematizing the differences between the free will positions and communicating them clearly. -
By Samuel Beckett Alumno
UNIVERSIDAD DE JAÉN Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación Trabajo Fin de Grado DE LAS EDUCACIÓN LAS DE Theatre of the Absurd: “Waiting for Godot” by Samuel Beckett Alumno: Santiago Riaza Martínez Tutor: Juan Ráez Padilla Dpto: Filología Inglesa Febrero, 2016 FACULTAD DE HUMANIDADES Y CIENCIAS CIENCIAS Y HUMANIDADES DE FACULTAD E 0. Abstract In this essay, it is going to be analysed the enigmatic and eclectic play Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett throughout a philosophical point of view. Some of these philosophies are related to existentialism, absurdism, hegelianism and religion. Besides, it is going to be explained the genre of this play: The Theatre of the Absurd, its historical background and the relationship between this play and contemporary cinema. The main purpose of this essay is giving some food for thought to its readers to face the problematic and mystery that surrounds this play. Keywords Absurdism, Samuel Beckett, Existentialism, Waiting for Godot, Theatre of the Absurd, Albert Camus, Religion, Drama, Cinema, Second War World, Esslin, Language, Postmodernism, Modernism, Ireland, Paris, Berlin, Jean Paul Sartre, Communication, Silence, Minimalism. 1 Contents Pages 0. Abstract and keywords 1 1. Introduction 3 2. Context 313 2.1. Biography 35 2.2. Literary Works 56 2.3. Historical context 67 2.4. The Theatre of the Absurd 78 2.5. Are the Theatre of the Absurd and the Existentialist Theatre the same genre? 89 2.6. The tradition of the Theatre of the Absurd 910 2.7. Is Waiting for Godot a modernist or a postmodernist play? 1013 3. -
Finding Camus's Absurd in Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, the Sound and The
Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Graduate Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 2009 Finding Camus's absurd in Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, The oundS and the Fury, and Absalom, Absalom! Stuart Weston Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd Part of the English Language and Literature Commons, and the Rhetoric and Composition Commons Recommended Citation Weston, Stuart, "Finding Camus's absurd in Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, The oundS and the Fury, and Absalom, Absalom!" (2009). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 10628. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/10628 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Finding Camus’s absurd in Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying, The Sound and the Fury, and Absalom, Absalom! by Stuart Michael Weston A thesis submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Major: English (Literature) Program of Study Committee: Diane Price-Herndl, Major Professor Susan Yager Jean Goodwin Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2009 ii Table of Contents Chapter One: A New Context for the Absurd…………………………………………. 1 Chapter Two: 'Something to Laugh at’: As I Lay Dying’s Absurdist Family Quest…. 10 Chapter Three: Absurd Americans: The Compsons’ Nihilistic Descent……………... 29 Chapter Four: Making Sense out of Absurdity………………………………………..55 Bibliography …………………………………………………………………………… 61 1 Chapter One: A New Context for the Absurd When literary critics speak of the absurd, they frequently do so in the context of those writers who developed and popularized the concept; the origins of the concept are European and are often traced back to Soren Kierkegaard’s The Sickness unto Death , published in 1849. -
Existentialism
TOPIC FOR- SEM- III ( PHIL-CC 10) CONTEMPORARY WESTERN PHILOSOPHY BY- DR. VIJETA SINGH ASSISTANT PROFESSOR P.G. DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY PATNA UNIVERSITY Existentialism Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes individual existence, freedom and choice. It is the view that humans define their own meaning in life, and try to make rational decisions despite existing in an irrational universe. This philosophical theory propounds that people are free agents who have control over their choices and actions. Existentialists believe that society should not restrict an individual's life or actions and that these restrictions inhibit free will and the development of that person's potential. History 1 Existentialism originated with the 19th Century philosopher Soren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche, but they did not use the term (existentialism) in their work. In the 1940s and 1950s, French existentialists such as Jean- Paul Sartre , Albert Camus and Simone de Beauvoir wrote scholarly and fictional works that popularized existential themes, such as dread, boredom, alienation, the absurd, freedom, commitment and nothingness. The first existentialist philosopher who adopted the term as a self-description was Sartre. Existentialism as a distinct philosophical and literary movement belongs to the 19th and 20th centuries, but elements of existentialism can be found in the thought (and life) of Socrates, in the Bible, and in the work of many pre-modern philosophers and writers. Noted Existentialists: Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) Nationality Denmark Friedrich Nietzsche(1844-1900) Nationality Germany Paul Tillich(1886-1965) Nati…United States, Germany Martin Heidegger ( 1889-1976) Nati…Germany Simone de Beauvior(1908-1986) Nati…France Albert Camus (1913-1960) Nati….France Jean Paul Sartre (1905-1980) Nati….France 2 What does it mean to exist ? To have reason. -
John Dennis on Absurdism
John Dennis On Absurdism Faculty Sponsors Dr. Kas Saghaf & Dr. Amit Sen 53 54 Abstract This project will seek to broaden and elucidate Camus’ concept of the absurd as presented in The Myth of Sisyphus, with the thesis being that, as given, it is too abstract and cursory to adequately rest on the conclusions that Camus has made. This task will be conducted in three main sections. The frst will focus on the initial descent and transition into absurdity by analyzing the phenomena and psychology within Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. The second will focus on the nature of immediacy in absurd aesthetics and ethics, using Don Juan as the subject. The third will argue in defense of Sisyphus’ heroic status and elaborate more on the motions of revolt and happiness in a fate with little to no possibility. 55 Introduction Absurdism in Abstract Albert Camus begins his defnitive work, The Myth of Sisyphus, with these bold sentiments: “There is only one really serious philosophical question, and that is suicide. Deciding whether or not life is worth living is to answer the fundamental question in philosophy. All other questions follow from that” (Camus, p. 5). From this philosophical question arises the core subject of this project: philosophical absurdism. The basic formulation for absurdity provided in Sisyphus is when man’s natural insistence for meaning in life is confronted with an irrational universe that either has no answer or does not offer one. Predecessors of Camus had already tried to answer this dilemma, as Kierkegaard did with his “leap of faith” and phenomenologists like Husserl did in proposing that meaning could be established through phe- nomenological hermeneutics. -
A Critique of Humoristic Absurdism
A Critique of Humoristic Absurdism A Critique of Humoristic Absurdism Problematizing the legitimacy of a humoristic disposition toward the Absurd A Critique of Humoristic Absurdism Copyright © 2020 Thom Hamer Thom Hamer All rights reserved. No part of this thesis may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any way or by any means without the prior permission of the author or, when applicable, of the publishers of the scientific papers. Image on previous page: Yue Minjun (2003), Garbage Hill Student number: 3982815 Graphic design: Mirelle van Tulder Date: February 5th 2020 Printed by Ipskamp Printing Word count: 32,397 Institution: Utrecht University Contents Study: Research Master Philosophy Summary 9 Document: Final Thesis Foreword 10 Supervisor: prof. dr. Paul Ziche Introduction 12 Second Reader: dr. Hans van Stralen 1. The Philosophy of Humor 21 Third Reader: prof. dr. Mauro Bonazzi 1.1. A history of negligence and rejection 24 1.2. Important distinctions 33 1.3. Theories of humor 34 1.4. Defense of the Incongruity Theory 41 1.5. Relevance of relief and devaluation 52 1.6. Operational definition 54 2. The Notion of the Absurd 59 2.1. Camusian notion: meaninglessness 61 2.2. Tolstoyan notion: mortality 63 2.3. Nagelian notion: trivial commitments 67 2.4. Modified notion: dissolution of resolution 71 2.5. Justificatory guideline for a disposition toward the Absurd 78 3. Humoristic Absurdism 83 3.1. What is Humoristic Absurdism? 85 3.2. Cultural expressions of Humoristic Absurdism 87 3.3. Defense of Humoristic Absurdism 92 4. Objections against the humoristic disposition toward the Absurd 101 4.1. -
Post-Cold War Experimental Theatre of China: Staging Globalisation and Its Resistance
Post-Cold War Experimental Theatre of China: Staging Globalisation and Its Resistance Zheyu Wei A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The School of Creative Arts The University of Dublin, Trinity College 2017 Declaration I declare that this thesis has not been submitted as an exercise for a degree at this or any other university and it is my own work. I agree to deposit this thesis in the University’s open access institutional repository or allow the library to do so on my behalf, subject to Irish Copyright Legislation and Trinity College Library Conditions of use and acknowledgement. ___________________ Zheyu Wei ii Summary This thesis is a study of Chinese experimental theatre from the year 1990 to the year 2014, to examine the involvement of Chinese theatre in the process of globalisation – the increasingly intensified relationship between places that are far away from one another but that are connected by the movement of flows on a global scale and the consciousness of the world as a whole. The central argument of this thesis is that Chinese post-Cold War experimental theatre has been greatly influenced by the trend of globalisation. This dissertation discusses the work of a number of representative figures in the “Little Theatre Movement” in mainland China since the 1980s, e.g. Lin Zhaohua, Meng Jinghui, Zhang Xian, etc., whose theatrical experiments have had a strong impact on the development of contemporary Chinese theatre, and inspired a younger generation of theatre practitioners. Through both close reading of literary and visual texts, and the inspection of secondary texts such as interviews and commentaries, an overview of performances mirroring the age-old Chinese culture’s struggle under the unprecedented modernising and globalising pressure in the post-Cold War period will be provided. -
Albert Camus and Absurd Communication: from Undecidability to Übercommunication
Albert Camus and Absurd Communication: From Undecidability to Übercommunication by Jorge Lizarzaburu B.A., USFQ, 2010 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Communication 2012 This thesis entitled: Albert Camus and Absurd Communication: From Undecidability to Übercommunication written by Jorge M. Lizarzaburu has been approved for the Department of Communication Gerard Hauser Janice Peck Robert Craig Date 5/31/2012 The final copy of this thesis has been examined by the signatories, and we Find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation standards Of scholarly work in the above mentioned discipline iii Lizarzaburu, Jorge M. (M.A., Communication, Department of Communication) Albert Camus and Absurd Communication: From Undecidability to Übercommunication Thesis directed by professor Gerard Hauser Communication conceived as understanding is a normative telos among scholars in the field. Absurdity, in the work of Albert Camus, can provide us with a framework to go beyond communication understood as a binary (understanding and misunderstanding) and propose a new conception of communication as absurd. That is, it is an impossible task, however necessary thus we need to embrace its absurdity and value the effort itself as much as the result. Before getting into Camus’ arguments I explain the work of Friedrich Nietzsche to understand the French philosopher in more detail. I describe eternal recurrence and Übermensch as two concepts that can be related to communication as absurd. Then I explain Camus’ notion of absurdity using a Nietzschean lens. -
Albert Camus' Dialogue with Nietzsche and Dostoevsky Sean Derek Illing Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected]
Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2014 Between nihilism and transcendence : Albert Camus' dialogue with Nietzsche and Dostoevsky Sean Derek Illing Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Political Science Commons Recommended Citation Illing, Sean Derek, "Between nihilism and transcendence : Albert Camus' dialogue with Nietzsche and Dostoevsky" (2014). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 1393. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/1393 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. BETWEEN NIHILISM AND TRANSCENDENCE: ALBERT CAMUS’ DIALOGUE WITH NIETZSCHE AND DOSTOEVSKY A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Political Science by Sean D. Illing B.A., Louisiana State University, 2007 M.A., University of West Florida, 2009 May 2014 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation is the product of many supportive individuals. I am especially grateful for Dr. Cecil Eubank’s guidance. As a teacher, one can do no better than Professor Eubanks. Although his Socratic glare can be terrifying, there is always love and wisdom in his instruction. It is no exaggeration to say that this work would not exist without his support. At every step, he helped me along as I struggled to articulate my thoughts.