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Despite being an ultimate ground for philosophical debates and discussions for many centuries, the topic of the absurd remains unresolved and not ultimately structured. The main issue considered under this theme is the connection between human life and its absurdity. Thomas Nagel, in his work, investigates a concern about the inescapable absurdity of human lives and analyzes the nature of this phenomenon. He also justifies the fact that human life is full of the components of absurdity and reflects a positive attitude toward this position. Moreover, in his view, self-consciousness and self-transcendence help make life meaningful, even if it is not. Life in Nagel’s view, is absurd on a large scale, so some might argue it becomes inescapably meaningless. However, the purpose in life and understanding of it could diminish the absurdity. The primary point is that the perception that everyone creates their reality and success themselves should be preserved. This paper aims to observe the relationship between life and absurdity and prove that it influences people and could be controlled based on Nigel’s study and its critics.
First of all, it is essential to differentiate between the negative and positive perceptions of absurdity in our lives. Certainly, human lives are undoubtedly absurd, considering them at the Universal scale. The negative perception is that in terms of million years in the Universe, human lives are so short and inconsiderable that they could be recognized as meaningless (Nigel 717). This claim leads to the view that the inferior contribution of human-being in the Universe’s history makes them miserable and absurd considering time and space (Nagel 717). Nevertheless, the connection between humans’ minuteness and brevity that makes life meaningless is not evident at all, especially from a human perspective (Nagel 717). Another point that adds to the miserable perception of absurdity is the sequence and order of our lives. According to Nagel, human mortality eliminates the sense of our actions during life, including studies, work, and money spent for different purposes (717). Although Nagel stated that even if humans at some point in time were capable of expanding the scale of their actions, it would still leave them pointless (717). Therefore, the «pessimistic» look at absurdity states that in the ratio of the Universe, human life is insufficient and absurd regardless of the scale or order of their actions.
As evidence of having an absurd nature, human life includes elements of this quality in daily life. Nagel declares that the absurdity of ordinary life is highly related to the distinction between aspiration and reality (718). If humans realize the absurdity of the situation, they try to fix it by changing their aspirations or avoiding uncomfortable positions (Nagel 718). The absurdity of daily actions is closely related to individual ambitions, plans, and circumstances (Nagel 718). Here, we can observe the collision of the ideas connected with the issue, which influences the whole picture. The absurdity here is that even after conducting calculations, putting effort, and making plans, humans can not certainly predict the consequences of their actions (Nagel 719). To some extent, this inability to foresee everything impacts the absurdity of life. Human-being is required to apply specific energy and attention to the course of action they complete to reach success (Nagel 718), but even that is sometimes not enough. For example, one could be driving to work and suddenly get into a car crash and get injured. Although he had a well-established plan in mind and had prepared himself, his car, and his schedule to complete this ride, he was unable to avoid this tragedy. This proves that any effort humans apply to every action in their life could be pointless and, therefore, absurd.
Nevertheless, there is a more positive view of this feature of life. Even if the absurdity could not vanish, people can diminish it by adding purpose to life. Nagel states that the absurdity of the idea appears due to insignificant and small events (720). Even larger enterprises are not considered significant until they commit something powerful (Nagel 721). Supposedly, the hypothetical person from the previous paragraph was working, for example, at the UN and strived for world peace and the elimination of war. In this case, his tragic injury will not be considered a total failure but rather an obstacle on the general path to the bigger goal. Therefore, decreasing the level of absurdity in life requires purpose or role in notable scales. However, as stated by Nagel, life will remain meaningless due to two entities: actions could still be insignificant compared to others; it is unclear how the steps that make life meaningful to others appear to be significant for us (722). People should be part of something bigger to feel the significance and identify their purpose (Nagel 722). Therefore, to decrease the absurdity of life, humans should have a goal or be part of something significant.
To add up to the positive aspects of absurdity, it could be a reasonable catalyst for future actions. According to Nagel, understanding the absurdity of life helps to set standards and prioritize future efforts (722). At the same time, the absence of knowledge about absurdity can diminish it. For instance, if that same person in a car crash has never acknowledged his efforts as absurd, they would not be considered such. In the same way, a mouse’s aim to stay alive is purposeful since a mouse is not self-conscious enough to think otherwise (Nigel 725). The message here is that self-consciousness is key to identifying the purpose and avoiding the absurd. Nagel mentions that the final and absolute way to escape is to commit suicide (726). However, before adopting such a radical solution, it is crucial to understand whether the absurdity in life presents a problem (Nagel 726). According to Nagel, our absurdity is not only our most advanced and intriguing characteristic but also a guarantee of our progress (726). Therefore, the role of absurdity in our life could be positive, and it only depends on our personal perception.
One of the common strategies for avoiding absurd situations is criticizing and changing some elements. Skepticism, in accord with criticism appearing on this ground, make humans analyze their position carefully. As claimed by Nagel, skepticism and criticism are mental reactions to evaluate the reality of the actions (723). To eliminate alternatives, such as dreams or hallucinations, it is necessary to doubt events and require justifications (Nagel 723). As people can realize that the course of happenings is actual, they start to think of ways to eliminate the possibility of the situation’s absurdity. Nagel points out the desire to change or attempt but mentions that sometimes criticism is pointless and that changes themselves become absurd (725). Therefore, it is essential to properly analyze the criticism directed toward this issue and be skeptical. Eliminating the flaw is highly motivated by the idea of avoiding the absurdity of the situation (724). Sometimes the actions taken do not lead to the desired result, and the absurdity of the case appears, but there is a chance to escape it through critical thinking.
Nigel’s approach to the absurd and mostly pessimistic perception of it has been analyzed and commented on. One critical gap was found by Duncan Pritchard, who suggested there could be a person whose life was dedicated to something fundamentally valuable but whose actions were only defined by pure luck (11). In those circumstances, it could not be identified whether his existence was absurd or meaningful (Pritchard 11). Although Pritchard decided to avoid this paradoxical issue in his commentary, he mentioned the impermanence of «fundamentally valuable» things and the lack of proof that they actually exist. These thoughts, in some way, disrupt the concept of absurdism but on the other hand, make it possible to recognize a personal meaning for each of our lives and not consider absurdity a problem.
In conclusion, Nagel perfectly shows the absurdity of life and how it is inescapable. At the Universe scale, human life is absurd, and the final point of existence is not defined. The ingredients of the absurd are present in human lives daily. The absurdity of the whole view is in the difference between aspiration and reality. Despite the problem being inescapable, finding the purpose and being part of something considerable could diminish the problem. Suicide and self-consciousness are the only ways to eliminate the issue. However, understanding the absurdity could be a good catalyst for future activities and realizations. Criticism directed toward absurdity should be carefully analyzed and recognized skeptically. In addition, it is essential to remember that absurdity is a problem only when considered to be so. The absurd in human life is a complex issue but has solutions, although somewhat complicated ones.
Works Cited
Nagel, Thomas. “The Absurd.” The Journal of Philosophy, vol. 68, no. 20, 1971, pp. 716–727.
Pritchard, Duncan. “Absurdity, Angst, and the Meaning of Life.” The Monist, vol. 93, no. 1, 2010, pp. 3–16, Web.
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