“The absurd is the essential concept and the only truth. Man stands alone in the world, the product of chance, seeking meaning where there is none. There is an irreconcilable conflict between our desire for meaning and the world's indifferent silence.”
—
Albert Camus
The Myth of Sisyphus (Le Mythe de Sisyphe, 1942)
Commentary
Camus defines the absurd as the collision between human longing for meaning and the universe's meaninglessness. We cannot derive purpose from nature, God, or reason; the world is simply indifferent to our existence and desires.
This is Camus's answer to Dostoevsky's question: if God is dead and all things are permitted, why not commit suicide? The absurd is the recognition that suicide is not the answer but that meaning must be created anyway, without illusions.
Commentary
Camus defines the absurd as the collision between human longing for meaning and the universe's meaninglessness. We cannot derive purpose from nature, God, or reason; the world is simply indifferent to our existence and desires.
This is Camus's answer to Dostoevsky's question: if God is dead and all things are permitted, why not commit suicide? The absurd is the recognition that suicide is not the answer but that meaning must be created anyway, without illusions.