absurd

Absurd is an adjective used to describe something that is wildly unreasonable, illogical, or inappropriate. In ordinary speech, it often signals that a situation or claim lacks coherence or is contrary to common sense. The word derives from Latin absurdus, meaning out of tune or inconsistent, via Old French and English usage.

In philosophy, the Absurd refers to the conflict between the human longing for meaning and the indifferent or seemingly meaningless universe. The term is central to existential and modern phenomenology. Notable articulation comes from Albert Camus, who described the Absurd as arising from the human need for clarity clashing with reality. He argued that one should revolt against absurdity through awareness, rather than escape into hope or despair, embracing freedom and passion. Absurdism is a broader philosophical stance that colors literature and art, though not all writers of absurd works align with Camus' conclusions.

In literature and theatre, the Theatre of the Absurd of the 1950s and 1960s includes Samuel Beckett, Eugène Ionesco, and Jean Genet. Works such as Beckett's Waiting for Godot and Ionesco's The Bald Soprano portray repetitive, illogical dialogue and situations that subvert traditional plots to probe meaning and communication.

In logic and mathematics, the term absurd describes a contradiction or false proposition. The method of proof by contradiction, reductio ad absurdum, derives an inconsistency from assuming the opposite of what is claimed, thus refuting it.