Absurdism - (Albert Camus)

Join George and John as they discuss and debate different Philosophical ideas, today they will be focusing on the theory of Absurdism.
Put forward by the writer Albert Camus, Absurdism is a position that explains the human experience and the absurdity that comes with it. Camus claimed that human beings have an innate desire to find purpose and meaning to life, however we ultimately live in a meaningless Universe. How should deal with the absurd realisation? Camus explains his version of the Absurd Man, the ideal that human beings should strive to be.
Watch as George and John explain this position and critically assess Absurdism as a Philosophical thought.
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0:00 Introduction
0:16 Absurdism explained
4:35 The Absurd Man
07:14 The Myth of Sisyphus and the Absurd Hero
10:55 Problems and criticisms of Absurdism
#absurdism #albertcamus #philosophy

[@PhilosophyVibe]

The Script to this video is part of the Philosophy Vibe “Existentialism” eBook, available on Amazon: US: www.amazon.com/dp/B088QQBXY3 UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B088QQBXY3 Canada: www.amazon.ca/dp/B088QQBXY3 India: www.amazon.in/dp/B088QQBXY3 Australia: www.amazon.com.au/dp/B088QQBXY3 Germany: www.amazon.de/dp/B088QQBXY3 For an introduction to Philosophy check out the Philosophy Vibe Anthology paperback set, available worldwide on Amazon: Volume 1 - Philosophy of Religion US: www.amazon.com/dp/B092H42XCS UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B092H42XCS Canada: www.amazon.ca/dp/B092H42XCS Volume 2 - Metaphysics US: www.amazon.com/dp/B092H5MGF9 UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B092H5MGF9 Canada: www.amazon.ca/dp/B092H5MGF9 Volume 3 - Ethics and Political Philosophy US: www.amazon.com/dp/B092H9V22R UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B092H9V22R Canada: www.amazon.ca/dp/B092H9V22R

[@TsarOfRuss]

The rock Sisyphus pushes uphill and falls back down is the house-rent i pay every month... just before i start enjoying life again, its already 20th of the month and i must pay another rent on 30th, depression and anxiety kicks in .. SMH! Thanks for this great video bro!!! quite enlightening

[@donaldyanson8144]

The myth of syphilis. As far as I know, syphilis is a real disease.😂

[@playbeats6726]

I can't help cracking up everytime the other guy says "right"

[@SimeonFrank]

Raahhhhight

[@wheniwasfuckingmydogmycatc6322]

Raahhhhight

[@yossared901]

The criticism part is very interesting. I think it's funny to attack Absurdism for being meaningless. That's kind of the point. Absurdism does lead to a certain amount of Hedonism, it's true. But Hedonism as a topic is filled with negative moral connotations which only make sense if you adopt certain philosophical ideas which are not universal. Absurdism, from its point of view, would not perceive hedonism as a problem. Lastly, the idea that Absurdism would lead to a world lacking in any kind of deep thought I think kind of misses the point. The act of seeking meaning despite recognizing the lack of inherent meaning seems to me to be the ultimate absurdity. And I think people like me who find absurdist ideas appealing, would not want people to stop seeking meaning. Life is absurd, so absurd practises make the world more full of life. This is one of the many paradoxes in absurdism. But any philosophy that doesn't seemingly contradict itself probably isn't describing the world very well. Because the world is full of contradictions, full of paradoxes. It is absurd.

[@outofoblivionproductions4015]

"Life is absurd, so absurd practises make the world more full of life."- science has shown this philosophy to be false. Indeed it has uncovered great order and meaning in our world. Judeo-Christianity would say the gradually revealed order and reasons of the material world reflect the great order and gradual understanding of the unseen world. Philosophy has followed a golden rule of non-contradiction, yet with Absurdism, it is contradicted everywhere by the meaningful patterns of our world and the weight of meaning followed by the religious. Atheists often rely on the hypocrisy of people to cancel out the integrity of belief and justify their nihilism, yet the truth about existence does not rely on human behaviour if God is the creator and sustainer of it.

[@husky_helianthus]

If a theory contradicts itself (defeats itself) then it’s necessarily false.

[@user-hu3iy9gz5j]

@@husky_helianthus How does absurdism contradict itself? It appears to me that the conclusions Camus draws are consistent to his premises

[@husky_helianthus]

@@user-hu3iy9gz5j it was an if If absurdism contradicts itself, then it is necessarily false. Whether or not it contradicts itself is another topic. Just the person above seemed to think it did. "But any philosophy that doesn't seemingly contradict itself probably isn't describing the world very well."

[@Livo-ph9fj]

@@outofoblivionproductions4015 Absurdism does not argue that the universe is absurd (yet the universe can be seen as meaningless, as the human intellect cannot (yet) conceive of any evidence to the contrary), but the relationship between humans and the universe is absurd. Also, science is not 100%. Everything in science remains a theory, these theories have enough natural evidence to be used, but this evidence comes only from our observations and the limitations of the human intellect. And as for science "uncovering great order and meaning in our world" it has uncovered meaning in the universe, not of our existence in it.

[@fujifilm5127]

I like how any counterargument to absurdism can be rebutted with ‘cool. I don’t care.’

[@tomatoversace3427]

falsification principle lmao

[@rusirumunasinghe7354]

One must always imagine Sisyphus happy

[@bobbycooper6048]

How can sisyphus be happy?

[@RaHul-yr3ye]

@@bobbycooper6048 cuz he know he has to do the thing for eternity. Being sad will only make him suffer more.

[@vincevvn]

@@bobbycooper6048 how can you be happy? You do the same thing everyday but you just have to find happiness in that

[@darrenskinner3711]

You don’t have to do anything. But if you recognise that your task is never ending and happiness is a real choice then why not choose happiness? Or indeed why choose to be unhappy? If you want to avoid suffering choose happiness. That’s what it comes down to.

[@user-oe7mm1li4o]

@@darrenskinner3711 But how? How can we choose Happiness when we are actually suffering? 😕I don't understand this.

[@mariamimaisuradze2274]

You are the reason why I have straight A in Philosophy

[@gona3665]

This is the first time stumbling upon this channel but I really dig how you're using actual animation to discuss your interpretation of Camus' works. Can't imagine how much hard work shit must have took. Thanks for making this, I hope your channel succeeds.

[@greenguy2372]

Wonderful video that offers a good introduction to absurdism, but also presents important criticisms towards this very popular philosophical position. Another huge problem I have with Camus idea that we should simply embrace experiences as they come and that just imagine sisyphus happy is that this thinking simply makes you accept everything that happens to you and breeds a certain kind of passivity. This endorses a certain status quo, even when that status quo could be changed. The sisyphus allegory is too simplistic to be universal to every person in every situation. Our current way of living isn't eternal or static.

[@PhilosophyVibe]

Thank you very much glad you enjoyed 😀 and excellent points you’ve raised.

[@vincevvn]

But you’re assuming those things are inherently negative, making them a problem in your eyes. But when there is no meaning there is no reason to ascribe to any other way of thinking if it doesn’t make you happy,

[@chou-4737fjswi]

cmiiw but i feel like camus says we should accept that which is outside our control, rather than to be passive to life itself

[@nabDoesYoutube]

again, how can you Truly know it is outside of your control? how does camus define this in his work? With that I suppose what his solution?

[@KamakiriTsume]

Absurdism is quite possibly the best Philosophy I have heard. It does have problems, but No other Philosophy has captured the world in a fair light. Good things happen. Bad thing happen. We can't know if this is all planned out. If we believe in a deity, Then our life is guided by strict, vague, and contradictory principals that often amount to "Hell or Hell. Your choice." I do agree it could be more fleshed out, but I think with out something to work for, Humanity would go insane. I believe its the struggle that gives life meaning reinforced by breaks from the crazy chaotic world we live in. If everything were nothing but good, We would grow bored and modern day, we are seeing the results of a bored society. On the other hand, if life gets to difficult, we grow tired of the struggle, and search for freedom. This is the foundation of Absurdism. All philosophies have an underlying contradiction. No philosophy has all of the answers. I do believe it is possible for my mind to be changed, However it would take a lot to do so.

[@evad7933]

This is good stuff. Philosophy delivered using simple, accessible language and which compares favourably to the crash course philosophy series put out on square space by Hank Green. Your channel deserves more hits and subscribers than it has. Unfortunately material on social media is not consumed in proportion to its quality.

[@LifeBehindHandlebars]

13:32 not meaningless, they become absurd! and thats the whole point

[@jseanbrooks1]

MMMM that sounds more like postmodernism or queer theory or something of that sort than absurdism. There is no reason that an absurdist must abandon a belief in objective epistemology.

[@ADHDMoneyandBusiness]

This was great. The dialogue is a fantastic way to teach and then test and challenge an idea all in one go.

[@PhilosophyVibe]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed.

[@Monster_Mover_Stocks]

I can't help but laugh when the cartoon character on the left speaks.

[@rorschachsjournal2084]

Yeah. The guy in the left is seemingly trying to critique absurdism from an emotionally based perspective, which is irrelevant.

[@onixtheone]

@@rorschachsjournal2084 elaborate?

[@TheQueensWish]

A good way to understand absurdism is to accidentally marry a narcissist. Then it will make sense! You will push that heavy rock of a relationship up the slope each and every day. Only to have it crash down again. Sometimes the narcissist will assist by trying to push it back down as you are pushing it up, for they are ever so reliably helpful in that sense. You will do this everyday of your married life together. Absurdism.

[@leoguymer5924]

Im a cosmic nihilist and i live as the absurd man and the part of the video on the absurd man will help me explain my beliefs alot better to people.

[@DRBur1991]

Surely an absurdist would be flexible with their belief? Being human and only being able to perceive things from a human perspective leads us to believe that life is meaningless. On the other hand it might not be due our inability to see true reality knowing our brains limitations? So as a human my relationship right now is absurd but that doesn't mean that's true reality because i'm only human and there might be much more to it than I could ever perceive right now? I could have a spiritual experience tonight, scientist may find things tomorrow. So be an flexible absurdist, accept the reality you percieve but be open that that could be totally wrong?

[@brynyrbryn]

i love the sisyphus analogy so much!

[@kiankyars]

AlreadyLove this channel after only wattaching two videos!

[@PhilosophyVibe]

Thank you!

[@majidsheikh1509]

Wonderful debate as always.. Hats off to philosophy vibe team...

[@PhilosophyVibe]

Thank you very much :)

[@corbinaquino]

I didn't understand fully the first time watching it, but I'm going to watch it again and try to make more connections. Nice video. I like how you summarized it and I like the inclusion of arguments against it.

[@PhilosophyVibe]

Thank you, hopefully it becomes clearer as you re-watch.

[@mart7558]

This video was super helpful to understand The whole work of Myth of Sisyphus!!! Utterly well-explained and concisely synthesized!! Loved the final reflection trying to debunk absurdism. You’re awesome mate.

[@PhilosophyVibe]

Thank you very much :) glad you enjoyed.

[@itsmootdamnitnotmute905]

Fantastic format. Point - counterpoint. Discourse is fundamental to any discussion of philosophy.

[@PhilosophyVibe]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed!

[@wellhellothere1976]

Great video and I love the criticism of it as well. I see in the analogy of Sisyphus a sort of "amor fati" from Nietzsche that one has to accept one's fate and embrace it.

[@PhilosophyVibe]

Glad you enjoyed :)

[@mad-eyemax1389]

I don't think Absurdism has to lead to hedonism, as the criticism suggests it does. Immediate sense experience can compel someone as much towards being against hedonism as unhealthy or isolationist (Camus was critical of isolation; he described Stirner as living in a desert intellectually, for example). Moreover, in The Rebel and The Plague, Camus alludes to humanist themes of shared experience and connectivity in encountering the absurd. This is partly why I'm not sure your charge of naive realism stands. Moreover, sense experience can be seen as the gateway through which we perceive existence, including information that refers to something outside our immediate surroundings (we have sense experience of reading newspapers for example). Even if this experience were found to be faulty, it would likely only corroborate the absurdist position, as it would demonstrate our struggle and difficulty to know. In terms of falsification, I think an absurdist would be willing to change their position if they were shown some revelatory information that cast the evil in the world in a new light. The novel The Plague illustrates a dissatisfaction with theological reasoning, but I think Camus rejected God on the grounds that we aren't given a reasonable explanation for suffering in this world. The same can be said for your argument on negative faith. I think if life were shown to have some viable purpose or goal, the absurdist would be willing to change. As it stands, they'd say that life seems to be most important thing itself, and living fully despite the problems in the world is the best course of action. I don't think that the existence of God would make Absurdism null and void. In his chapter on metaphysical revolt, Camus depicts Ivan Karamazov as an allegory for rejecting God even if God did exist, on the grounds that God is acting unfairly.

[@vincevvn]

Yes I was thinking most of the same. It really bothered me when he said an absurdist wouldn’t change their world view when presented with new information making the entire base of all the counter points moot.

[@outofoblivionproductions4015]

On what grounds does he suggest that God is acting unfairly? It's a shame he didn't consider philosophy more, for that position is interesting and must have been addressed by the great philosophers. If he'd had less girlfriends, he may have studied more and found some meaningful debates 😏.

[@mad-eyemax1389]

@@outofoblivionproductions4015 _"If he'd had less girlfriends"_ Plenty of religious people had affairs and were promiscuous, so I don't think this stands for much. He bases his assessment that God is acting unfairly on the problem of evil and suffering, referencing the image Ivan Karamazov mentions: that God's plan isn't worth the tears of a child.

[@outofoblivionproductions4015]

@@mad-eyemax1389 That's not an argument- just an opinion. And we're not speaking about any religious but rather the great religious philosophers, who were chaste saints.

[@mad-eyemax1389]

@@outofoblivionproductions4015 Please expand on why you think it's just an opinion, and why you're opinion is more legitimate. The point about saints misses the point of what I'm saying, I think. I was implying that just because Camus had many lovers, doesn't mean his arguments are wrong. Just as I would say that just because there are religious figures who had secret promiscuity, doesn't mean that we should dismiss what they say.

[@mikeprendergast1826]

Loving your channel as it is helping me understand my Uni Philosophy module. I would ask if you were thinking of posting a video on the use of Language, I ask because I am interested in the Sapir-Whorf hypnosis and would like to understand more about language. Thanks again for all the hard work you put into this page. Keep it up

[@PhilosophyVibe]

Thank you very much, so glad to hear our videos are helping. We are looking at doing a video on the Philosophy of Language, with a focus on Wittgenstein, but if you have any specific recommendations please let us know.

[@DRBur1991]

Wow, great video. I've been experiencing an 'existential crisis' recently and gone through stages of nihilsm & absurdism in the past few years. This video just basically debunked my absurdist mindset - thanks! It brings back a lot of mystery I think, which I crave.

[@PhilosophyVibe]

Glad you enjoyed the video 😀

[@jeremyg7261]

How did it debunk absurdism? From weak counterpoints? No offense but no wonder you “struggle”

[@DRBur1991]

@@jeremyg7261 I never said it debunks absurdism, read the comment again. No offence but learn how to read.

[@vincevvn]

It really didn’t debunk anything. All the counterpoints he came up with at the end of the video could easily be argued against.

[@gomiladroogies5951]

That rebuttal of absurdism was pretty absurd.

[@vincevvn]

Lol agreed

[@irish_deconstruction]

Yeah. I may not necessarily label myself an absurdist quite yet (considering I'm still pretty new to Camus' work), but John appears to make out as if there is no intellectual merit to it whatsoever, and is completely strawmanning it.

[@caramason56]

Brilliant and beautiful ❤️. Thank you for sharing

[@PhilosophyVibe]

A pleasure, thanks for watching.

[@Lupine.]

Absurdism is like the Anarchistic version of Philosophy. It's quite freeing and really highlights how many, if not most belief systems are adopted to compensate for insecurities or arrogance.

[@scentedsin]

Best channel as yet

[@PhilosophyVibe]

Thank you 😀

[@begayty6342]

Love your videos

[@PhilosophyVibe]

Thank you!

[@garyhughes1664]

Wonderful video on Camus. I learned more from this video than many of the books I've read or dipped into over the years.

[@PhilosophyVibe]

So happy to hear this video helped you. 😀

[@AkiraBeard]

Amazing. So well done

[@PhilosophyVibe]

Thank you!

[@doriyanpetkov8510]

Very informative video, well done. Proud of you. (:

[@PhilosophyVibe]

Thank you.

[@doriyanpetkov8510]

@@PhilosophyVibe You're welcome. (:

[@AltairEgo1]

I would argue that even if something like God exists it doesn't make our life any less absurd. The very nature of existence is absurd. Our natural drive is to preserve our life, but it ultimately gets extinguished anyway. How can anyone argue that isn't absurd? Or let's say a God says Our purpose in life is to love one another. Surely he could have allowed us to love one another in heaven. If hes , omnipotent then he should be able to do anything, Including granting us the ability to love one another in heaven. It doesn't require faith to comprehend this logic. Maybe there's a purpose for life that a human mind can't possibly comprehend, but if it's something we can't understand, then it's meaningless to ponder something unsolvable. I don't think absurdism necessarily leads to hedonism, You can still live your life without becoming hedonistic. You're simply living a life that suits you. If you are living a hedonistic life then you're not living at any less right than another person. It's fine to wax phosophical, but just know that the odds of you solving this puzzle are low. People who have lived thousands of years before you couldn't solve it, so there's a sort of arrogance in thinking you've simply solved the riddle when others for thousands of years couldn't solve it. Believe what you want to, but you'll most likely die before ever figuring it out.

[@soniamichelle2393]

Thank you for your comment, I couldn't have said it better. Figured out something was odd about life as a 6 year old. My cousins & I would play w/a neighborhood dog & one day we found him dead. I was amazed & asked my cousins where the dog went. They said he's right there, you have eyes. What was wrong was as a young child I became aware that there was more to things than what we could see, but those in my family did not. So as an adult I went to different churches & one where the pastor told us recently 'saved' people to say "thank you Jesus" repeatedly until we spoke in tongues. I told him that was physiological as we'd be just tongue tied. He said I should have faith & told me to go home & read scripture. Who gets kicked out for stating facts? Anyway, I've resigned to the truth that while we can explain the "how" of life to a certain extent, we just don't know the "why" & I'm ok w/that. It's about finding what you're good at, living authentically & simply being kind to others while respecting differing views.

[@vincevvn]

Wow this was very well put. I completely agree with all those points you made. This is definitely something for the uploaded to consider next time he talks about absurdism

[@granolabars9374]

You guys should make a video on Simone de Beauvoir! Great video btw

[@PhilosophyVibe]

Thank you :), and great suggestion, we will look into this.

[@CasperFiles1969]

Either there is a meaning or not, but one thing is certain that humans are doomed.

[@mengmeng243]

Why?

[@CasperFiles1969]

@@mengmeng243 We are all going to die with broken dreams, regrets, limited access to the knowledge about everything, finite possibilities with infinite potential and uncertainty of what would happen next( after death of humans and universe or even reality).

[@mengmeng243]

@@CasperFiles1969 Certainly humans will meet their end but I don't think we can be certain that it will be a good or bad ending... broken dreams are subjective.. some people grow up lazy, some grow up to be super passionate and curious.. some are even previlege to study on some high class universities..some people even become successful even they're undergrad or never went to school... so yeah some people have broken dreams but you can't deny there are people who are billionaires enjoying thier successful carrers and not to mention some people are born rich it's up to them what to do with their money......sure we have limited knowledge but, can you really tell where exactly the limitation of our human imagination??? You know maybe someone out there is capable of doing something that could change the world for the better... or maybe for the worst.. but again we can't really be certain...... As of the moment there are scientist working on cell regeneration.. maybe one day humans will be immune to all kinds of illnesses.. maybe those crazy scientist even discover how to reverse aging... Also aren't we humans already trying to inhabit other planet?? maybe oneday we can move to other planets... I know that those are somehow impossible but decades ago we don't think that touch screen smartphones are possible.. yet look what you are holding now.... Yeah for sure after billions and billions of years our universe will die out... ... But one thing is for sure..... I am fucking Overthinking!!

[@CasperFiles1969]

@@mengmeng243 I think (my opinion) no human is without regrets and broken dreams. Even if one bece rich still one would have regrets and broken dreams from childhood and youth. I think they will never go and only option we have is accept them and keep living. We can never understand other person, his/her emotional turmoil, perspective, etc let alone history. All we have some amount data but compared to knowledge which has been lost, is miniscule.

[@mengmeng243]

@@CasperFiles1969 Right so let's keep living and maybe less thinking about our doomsday.. 🙏😊

[@joywashwan8424]

I have understood perfectly

[@PhilosophyVibe]

Glad we could help.

[@caramason56]

This reminds of a David Bohm interview on dialogue of thoughts between two people.

[@caramason56]

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[@tulli8881]

great video.

[@PhilosophyVibe]

Thank you.

[@gloriouspurpose3139]

You earned a sub

[@PhilosophyVibe]

Thank you!

[@abdulgafarlawal4777]

The perfect video 🙂

[@PhilosophyVibe]

Thank you!

[@gizmorazaar]

Excellent video. Something that I've always challenged about Camus' philosophical outlook is his idea of merely accepting the Absurd, and embracing the meaninglessness. My disagreement is on more psychological grounds, as I turn to Viktor Frankl's Logotherapy, a.k.a "the will to meaning," which he describes in his book Man's Search for Meaning. Frankl demonstrates here that psychologically, a human being needs a "north star," so to speak, in order to carry on without an severe drawbacks. He cites the example of his time in the concentration camps, as he was a Holocaust survivor: Frankl recalls how, between the week of Christmas and New Year's Day, the highest fatalities occurred among inmates from natural causes, on the grounds that they died from lack of motivation to live. I find this plausible, as it is not just a one-off incident and that there are many studies that demonstrate, scientifically and psychologically, that man needs a meaning for himself in order to continue his existence. Therefore, on the grounds of Camus' argument for living as expedient as possible (since passion and pleasure is all there is to Camus), it would be the most pragmatic solution to synthesize a meaning for oneself, if only to achieve this end of living for passion and pleasure, even if it meant not being an Absurd Man.

[@scottbarber2736]

I learned of Absurdism in undergrad and read additional works of Monsieur Camus since then. I call myself an absurdist, though I add to it, Zen Buddhism, Stoicism, and humor. Humor is my twist on the absurd. It is also behind my Lolbertarianism. Laugh at everything, especially politics and religion. 😂

[@michaelburbine305]

It seems to me that philosophy's tendency to compartmentalize all its diverse ideas from a myriad of authors into concrete truths to which we must adhere is a trap. Every philosophy is flawed, yet philosophers can impart great wisdom. I also have a question for all Zen Buddhists out there: If you label yourself a Zen Buddhist, can you really be one? A Zen Buddhist that places worldly clutter and attachments to himself in the form of philosophical labels, now that would be absurd and a little funny, so I'll grant you 2 of your labels. You might deserve more but that's all I can ascertain from your comment. I guess my point is there is no one perfect philosophy nor is there a perfect mix of philosophies. Brains are plastic not concrete.

[@mac2phin]

Hatred of death, disdain for gods, passion for life.

[@upublic]

that's METAL AF xD

[@wesley6442]

@@upublic I'd definitely head bang to a track like that! lol

[@pauldirc..]

​@@upublic what is meaning of your statement metal af

[@ressque]

I feel like I have a decent answer to the final question. Absolutely you could get me to believe in God, Magic, Fairy tales, or universal meaning. I just need evidence. Verifiable, peer-reviewed evidence. (As in I am, not the only one testing my hypothesis) The original position is that of null, and the burden of proof lies on the person making a claim without any hard evidence. "If God can be self-caused, so can the universe." -Greydon Square

[@piyushmirashi6445]

Precisely. Absurd man says that we cannot know if or not there exist a reality beyond our senses so the only option is to live a life with whatever we do know. Imagine the time before Copernicus, somewhere in 1400. If I was told as a fact that Earth is the center of universe and everything revolves around it, there is no way I would have ever questioned whether or not life has any purpose.

[@KrisTheKrisMan]

Holy shit John takes no prisoners when it comes to absurdism

[@aburninglandfillofbadmovie2930]

The problem of existentialism nihilism and absurdism is that it denudes oneself of all moral constraint with regard to thought and behavior, leading most people into selfish senseless evildoing. Few can restrain every immoral impulse all the time forever, and in these systems of thought, you must do all that restraint yourself. It also goes against the basic moral ideas of society. Members of society must engage in some behaviors and must avoid others for a society to be durable and functional.

[@phulmetal]

"very well"

[@Rspknlikeab0ssxd]

Would you guys be interested in making a video discussing some more of the philosophy of George Berkeley? I think you guys have a nice intro to his philosophy of idealism, but he's actually got a lot of other rich ideas. For example, he's made two arguments for the existence of God based on the acceptation of idealism (i.e. the passitivity argumemt, and the continuity argument), and one which is an analogy argument called the divine language argument. It's like Plantinga's analogy argument, but made 250 years before Plantinga, and with a stronger theistic conclusion. He was also famous for his work on optics, and he was a very influential early critic of Newton's philosophy or physics, especially of absolute space/extention, motion, gravity among others. His work influenced Ernest Mach who in turn influenced Einstein. Berkeley also made sizable contributions into philosophy of mathematics, arguing against infinitesimal calculus, and I believe he even made an analogy argument involving math and God, though I don't know it well. Also, Berkeley was quite the Christian apologetic. In short, Berkeley is my favorite philosopher and I think he had so many rich and influential ideas that amount to more than just being an idealist and a critic of Locke/Descartes/Malebranche. I think these ideas are underexplored, and a video briefly discussing those ideas would be awesome. I'd certainly be happy to offer what information I know on Berkeley regarding the topics, if you liked the idea.

[@PhilosophyVibe]

Thank you for the recommendations, indeed Berkeley's ideas around God will definitely be something we will cover.

[@Rspknlikeab0ssxd]

@@PhilosophyVibe I'm really looking forward to it! :)

[@shaggystone6397]

Yes Berkley"s dialogs were great & give a very clear understanding of how the 5 senses do NOT capture reality. As Schopenhauer said Kant owes ALOT more to Berkeley than Kant gives him credit for & cares to admidt AND as Morpheus said in the matrix " if reality is what you can see smell taste & see, then reality is nothing but chemical impulses in the brain." ( whatever the brain is).

[@Rspknlikeab0ssxd]

@@shaggystone6397 What do you mean by how the "5 senses do NOT capture reality"? As in you mean how the five senses do not capture reality as a materialist would say? Or do you disagree with Berkeley?

[@shaggystone6397]

@@Rspknlikeab0ssxd sorry took awhile. I would side with the idealist & do not see how modern physicality can hold up. Thinkers like Quine are going to eventually reach dead ends. Now i turn red when i tell u i think Schopenhauer is one of the greatest philosophers (especially continental) Ever. I will not debate his metaphysics as i am aware there are problems but his idealism stands. One modern scientist who is carrying the torch is Donald Hoffman. In short " to be is to be perceived."

[@shaggystone6397]

Ever wonder if God questions his own absurdity? & if God simply "is" his own meaning as well as creating his own meaning then God is more of an existentialist than an Absurdist.

[@absurdist5938]

I don't hold a strict position that" I cannot know " .. Naive realism hmm that's was naive observation.... But good video

[@francisodhiambo4704]

I would like to know if with Camus' kind of absurdity, is immortality then, desirable? If we must imagine Sisyphus happy, should we ask if he is willing to go up and down with the boulder? Is it in wait for death because death MUST come anyway, or he is fine with his rebellious treatment of absurdity even if there is no end to it? What happens to him as he ages? His physique and mental strength reduces with time. Chances are the boulder does not with time. Is Sisyphus only strong because he knows he will eventually die?

[@johnryan263]

Well done on the counter argument to Absurdism. Too bad there wasn't a defense to the counter argument. Two thumps up from me.

[@PhilosophyVibe]

Thank you :)

[@haman7227]

I imagine I am happy therefore I am happy I am happy therefore I imagine I am happy

[@michaeldillon3113]

We search for meaning in a meaningless universe ? Sounds like hell on earth !

[@katkatfarkat]

I appreciate the absurdity of absurdism 😊

[@tacolover4598]

My answer on if an event could show me a bigger meaning or purpose is: maybe but I don’t care. My position is one of indifference because its not happening now. Example: I don’t care if god exists, because if the existence of god implies predeterminism then doesnt matter what I do, I cant escape my actions; and if god doesn’t exist my actions are for me to choose. Aince right now I dont know then I dont care if he does or if he doesnt i will act without knowing if they are of my choosing or predetermined, I only accept that is absurd either way and that I am indifferent to it

[@frank3763]

why is perpetuation of species never considered an inherent meaning or purpose...? what other meaning could a cat or a mouse or even a cockroach have to exist? while one could certainly want for more beyond this... expectation of it is arrogant and self defeating.

[@lbowker5679]

I love these videos how they present different branches of philosophy for the bloke on the left to take a huge steamy shit on at the end

[@alittax]

I know this is scripted, but I love how articulate and logical both of them are. I wish I could be like them in real life (even though this is fiction).

[@PhilosophyVibe]

Thank you, glad you like the debate and format.

[@jeffk3746]

the way the second guy says "interesting" like he's bored out of his mind sends me everytime lol

[@alittax]

@@jeffk3746 Haha yes :) Then at the end, it always turns out that he was preparing to smite down his friend with his arguments.

[@dwaynewhite1669]

Yes. One can make the claim that one cannot know if God exists. The word faith literally means to believe in something based upon apprehension rather than proof. The only way we can actually know there is a God is if he actually gets involved, and that’s not gonna happen. So, what about in the afterlife? Well, you cannot know that there is an afterlife because it happens after life. Besides; you don’t think that the afterlife is a bit redundant? You have a life. Life after that is pointless... unless you fear death; of course. You have this brief moment in time to experience all that life has to offer, but what do you? You oppress yourself by worrying about what comes afterwards. You squander you’re opportunities. As long as you’re not hurting people; live your life. Enjoy it.

[@jordanzhu4723]

Hello everyone, I'm fashionably late to the philosophical party. The choice of happiness in the task is the instance when he's free of his labor. Imagine Sisyphus running down the hill. When he becomes aware of his situation and has a choice to be... happy. The punishment determined by Zeus was arbitrary.

[@jayde.nn11]

I dont think camus ever states that he cannot know the existence of God. I'm sure that he states over and over in his book that he does not know. And stating that an absurdist would just completely throw out any sort of evidence for a meaning to life is complete nonsense. The whole aim for camus is that he has searched for meaning and where ever he looked he couldnt find it making him come to the assumption that meaning must be void. He was presented evidence for meaning and found holes in such evidence. He didnt just simply say "meh life has no meaning" without any sort of contemplation.

[@philosophemes]

Hopefully you find this helpful: @2:57 We cannot know whether there is "truth and value... So, we must live and act like they do not exist." That is, indeed, absurd. For example, being an agnostic doesn't mean you must behave like an atheist. This point of view (as you portray it here) privileges an "external locus of control." If you imagine something, what you're imagining does have being as a being-of-the-imagination. You repeatedly discount the value of the reality of inner beings, i.e. an "internal locus of control." Absurdism isn't part of existentialism, it's related to Sartre's (Cartesian and Hegelian) misunderstanding of the constitutional principles of existentialism.

[@adebleswordfish]

I am personally an solipsistic-absurdist and theist as well, but I do have a horus-complex lol My absurdist realization happened at like 10 I will most likely go into an ascetic lifestyle really soon indulging in the simple things greatly!

[@sirvazo1633]

A coffee machine stored in a discussion den / library? Absurd!

[@willdepaula3902]

Absurdism makes a lot sense. Life at a glance seems well translated through the lens of absurdist. But I imagining Sysiphus happy is a step too far. It's difficult to be happy with the struggle when 5 year olds getting sold by their mother for drug money is part of that struggle. I have a brother who's the faithful depiction of the absurd man who spends his time with a lot of women. He fully understands life's absurd and talks about dying all the time but is afraid of committing self-deletion due to religious fears. So he dedicate his existence to sex and making money. I'm more of the person who just wants out. I've bought a long extension cord I keep in my trunk at all times and it already has two knots, one tied as a noose and one to serve as an anchor.

[@theFLCLguy]

To me if we don't achieve godhood and make it into the next universe everything is pointless. Either we become the shapers of existence or we are the same thing as the nothingness of space. Existing only because it lacks anything permanent.

[@anvithpayyavula7114]

I think where the criticism can be criticized, is for attributing negative faith to absurdism. While, yes, usually absurdists do not believe in a meaning, it is not to say that absurdism 100% denies any greater meaning from existing. It's merely a way of looking at it 'in the meanwhile'. In the meanwhile, we are here, not knowing of any objective meaning, not knowing of a meaning to existing that is universal, not knowing if knowing that is even possible. So, from this perspective, what can we do to address our philosophical needs? That's where absurdism comes in. And indeed, hedonism could be said to be a part of it! But to that, I'd say, what's wrong with hedonism? People don't need deeper thought to live. I know of plenty who live their lives simply, not wondering a single thing. Who don't go deep into religion, or deep into any philosophy that says otherwise. Who are simply living for the sake of it. I don't think there's anything wrong with that, that's the life most of us live. Most common people, do not devote their entire hearts to a god, or to nothing. They're in a state of inbetween, a state of indifference. Living without any existential questioning is just as valid as living with it.

[@UncleDavid]

the point of meaning is in the process of its creation lol life is basically a game of finding a way to escape entropy by cultivating internal cohesion

[@ddee9612]

I hate sore throat😢

[@arwynstar]

True meaning and true freedoms will never be fully realized due to being limited by our own percieved reality. We are bound by our individual perceptions. Pursuing meaning in the face of this knowledge is the absurdity- to me anyway. *shrug*

[@mclaughlinjames7]

The bastard child of modernism. “We cannot know the meaning,” this is only true if heuristics is abandoned and we expect meaning to lay down before us as fact like we see mathematical theorems doing. The problem that we face is that we can engage in meaning, and therefore we can approach existential values outside of ourselves, but we can’t expect definitions of these things in the language of scientism. I think Camus showed some restraint, similar to Wittgenstein over other certain thinkers in claiming that the condition is merely that we can’t know it, but he was not willing to peer into the chaotic swirl of epistemology adequately to question this claim. Good video though, gentlemen. Got me thinking!

[@ThePinguPenguin]

What is Philosophical suicide??? Please explain.

[@irish_deconstruction]

Camus defines it as trying to convince yourself of something through blind faith i.e God or religion (4:10 - 4:33)

[@PabloSensei]

I'm just curious about the first proposition of philosophical suicide,we don't always need empirical proof to believe something is the case

[@Jamse.]

Keyword being belief. Because belief is by definition an assertion of values without empirical proof.

[@irish_deconstruction]

Well we do, the only other alternative is rigorous logic and a priori reasoning.

[@irish_deconstruction]

@@Jamse. No, what you're defining is the world 'claim'. Belief is merely the psychological state of being convinced that something is the case.

[@travislayer5347]

Damn! . . . . Sisyphus is stoned forever.

[@Jeik-jv8kr]

2:06 11:39

[@theblackalbertcamus]

Embrace the absurd

[@robertjsmith]

its hard being an absurdist in lockdown

[@unassailable6138]

It's easy, Sysyphus IS in lockdown. If you can aknowledge lockdowns are absurd and accept it , you are an absurdist.

[@tomatoversace3427]

Absurdism may be hard to understand because within it are two premises which cannot be clarified objectively. Meaninglessness and Meaning, since these things can only be defined inside of one’s own subjective experience, cannot be lawfully determined to “be” anything. Like seeing the color red. This has caused me to reject absurdism, yet I still agree with the existentialist “cosmic panic” of Zapffe.

[@irish_deconstruction]

The objections raised to absurdism in this video are problematic. 11:12 This whole "negative faith" objection is unsound, because Camus did not say there was no objective values, he merely thought that humans have no way of knowing of any objective values or the existence of any gods, and that due to this, we ought to simply live our lives like they do not exist (See 2:50 and 12:05 of this exact video). I would defend this by saying that I am not even sure what it would be mean for a god or objective values to exist, as I have not heard any logically coherent definitions of either of those things up to the point of writing this comment. 12:30 Unless you can give me a coherent definition of God, I have no reason to concede this objection either. 13:16 I'm not sure, because I have not heard of any definitions of moral realism or theism that are in anyway coherent, but give me a coherent definition and some corroborating evidence, and I will concede your point. 13:33 Pretty sure that's the whole point. Absurdism, by definition, is analogous to grapping nihilism and staring it in the face, and living your life while doing so. 13:43 Any alternative solutions to nihilism? If not, then what _you_ just said is meaningless. 13:58 I can't remember Camus ever saying that nothing matters other than complete and utter pleasure, all I remember him saying is that the most important question of philosophy is whether a man should commit suicide or not, but that many important questions do still follow. Read this extract; 'There is but one truly serious philosophical problem and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to fundamental questions of philosophy. All the rest - whether or not the world has three dimensions, whether the mind has nine or twelve categories - *comes afterwards* .' _- Penguins Modern Classics Myth of Sisyphus, Absurdity and Suicide Page 10._ John's objections to Camus' philosophy are extremely superficial, either to the point of ignorance or dishonesty. 14:14 Once again, it would take only a superficial understanding of Camus' work to even think this counts as an objection. 14:26 Sure, whatever you say. I don't label myself as an absurdist, but I do think there is something to it and I find that I agree with the general principle (which is a rational man living in an irrational world with no problem, like Sisyphus, as Camus would have it), but John's "objections" and "rebuttals" are, I'm sorry to say, complete tripe.

[@pauldirc..]

I think absurdism is most practical philosophy for dealing with meaningless of life and i sheldom find utility or practicalness in other philosophies which i think are only mental gymnasium

[@whitenuttergoku7310]

Sisyphus repeating his insanity

[@snehalarunachal952]

YOU ARE GODS😇🙏👼

[@PhilosophyVibe]

Thank you!!!

[@wheniwasfuckingmydogmycatc6322]

"very well" - best ending to an argument ever

[@chriswardwell5170]

Yes there is absolutely a situation to which I would conceded an existence of a god and that is if said "god" came down and told us all otherwise till then a bunch of human written musty old books won't cut it... Why do you assume that by acknowledging the odds that there is no god mean that you have no situation to which you'd admit you're wrong I just believe that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence and science can provide evidence religion can not

[@boxingjerapah]

The rebuttal makes no sense and contradicts itself. If we cannot rely on our senses, then it is not necessary for an event that would refute the absurdist's position to exist, in order for the absurdist argument to retain validity.

[@antuandunte1238]

Oddly enough, I came here after listening to Bukowski..

[@doriyanpetkov8510]

Who is George who is John.

[@PhilosophyVibe]

Beard is George, purple jacket is John.

[@doriyanpetkov8510]

@@PhilosophyVibe Ok, you're the best for telling me, I really appreciate you for telling me. (: You make very informative and good videos

[@_VISION.]

12:00 from my perspective both are making positive claims. If you're making a claim that there is no inherent value or meaning in the world and no god or deities, then it appears to me that you're making a positive claim about something being non-existent. One party is making a positive claim about what kind of knowledge exist and is attainable while the other party is making a positive claim about what kind of knowledge does not exist and is not attainable. In my opinion, the latter party, has the burden of proof as well. From how I see it, the only way someone is void of burden of proof is if they suspend judgement. Suspending judgement means you aren't making any positive claim about either or. It means you avoid giving an answer (i.e. "I don't know").

[@ixdjmebsjcmfnd8779]

What I see is that any kind of philosophy or spiritual tradition that claims a fundamental meaning can only push the question back. For instance, you ask a Christian, what the meaning of life is and they say it is to worship God. They you ask what the meaning of worshiping God is and they either say it is that God is the essence of goodness and we want his plan to be served, because it is how it is, or they say because if we do serve it we go to heaven and there it will be good for us. And if you ask what is the meaning of serving the plan or going to heaven, I think they can't really go any further. Existence remains absurd, just with a few bypassings. If there is anyone who can refute this, please do.

[@addie8767]

As a Christian who’s not super knowledgeable in philosophy, from a Biblical perspective, the meaning of life is to do everything humans already do but doing it for God and in accordance with His commands. Without God there is no possible meaning of anything, which most agree on anyways. This comes from the book of Ecclesiates. If you haven’t look into a more logical argument for God existence. My favorite is mathematical laws because it’s so simple. How can our universe be full of order and systems and laws that apply absolutely everywhere outside of human discovery but yet not be created by an intelligent being? That’s a very simplified version of the argument but it’s something I love thinking about. God gives an incredible sweetness and joy to life that can’t be found through work, pleasure or wisdom, and it’s truly amazing. I’d rather live for God and have full meaning in life than gather knowledge and work everyday just to die like the fool or lazy person.

[@addie8767]

God created us to share His love, He’s deserving of worship and He deserves us to obey Him. So we do it out of love for Him, Heaven is ultimately just being in the presence of God and enjoying it forever on a perfect world for eternity. I think it seems absurd because it’s impossible for our minds to comprehend God and eternity entirely.

[@scottkraft1062]

I'm here right now that's enough

[@TheMoopah]

At 52, I'm happy being content in my own little bubble.

[@whitenuttergoku7310]

The teacher got schooled by the student 👨‍🏫

[@faizanxx762]

Why does the guy with glasses look like he's not sure what he's talking about?

[@jaibharat122]

You are God

[@curtismckiernan6640]

So what you are saying is that not only is life absurd, but also life's meaning is absurd? It would be true to say that what you said is also absurd itself. But really my comment here is what is absurd and only has meaning in the moment you read it. After that, it becomes meaningless. You know what I mean?

[@alexmacdonald9182]

absurdism is hipster

[@PamelaOkpala]

The entire basis for absurdism is "We don't know. And not knowing is fine. We can't know,for any form of knowing we claim to have is faith, and philosophical death."

[@bubblelf4341]

camus own examples of the absurd man don’t make sense, how would an actor looking for fame be more valid than a writer looking for fame?