absurdities

Absurdities are qualities or instances that are wildly unreasonable, illogical, or laughably incongruous. The term describes situations, ideas, or behaviors that defy ordinary expectations of reason or propriety. Etymologically, absurdus means out of tune or inconsistent, and the word entered English in the early modern period to label things that clash with common sense.

In philosophy, the term is central to absurdism, which examines the conflict between humanity's search for meaning and an indifferent or meaningless universe. The French thinker Albert Camus popularized the idea of the absurd, arguing that recognizing it should not lead to despair but to a personal revolt: to live with freedom and create meaning despite the lack of ultimate justification.

In literature and theater, Absurdism gave rise to the Theatre of the Absurd, with writers such as Eugene Ionesco, Samuel Beckett, and Harold Pinter. Works eschew conventional plots and logical dialogue, instead presenting circular, illogical, or nonsensical situations to highlight the fragility of communication and the precariousness of human purpose.

In everyday language, 'absurd' or 'absurdities' describe actions or policies that seem irrational or counterproductive, such as bureaucratic rules that produce needless complexity. In formal contexts, the term may describe propositions that are logically impossible or self-contradictory, or paradoxes that reveal tensions between premises and conclusions.

Related topics include paradox, irony, the Theatre of the Absurd, and the writings of Camus and Beckett.