Nihilism vs. Existentialism vs. Absurdism — Explained and Compared

What is the difference between Nihilism vs. Existentialism vs. Absurdism? The common ground they share is that they are all responses to philosophy’s timeless clichéd question “what is the meaning of life?” Nihilism came into full bloom in the 19th century as the full implications of modernism came to fruition. Existentialism and Absurdism are two ways of responding to the crisis of Nihilism.
So what is Nihilism? It’s the belief that there is no objective meaning, no purpose outside the illusions humanity has created for itself. As science developed and the religious narratives were found to be ineffective and hollow, the religious account of reality was consigned to the trash heap of history but with it went the grounding of our morality and meaning. This is what Nietzsche’s madman is decrying in The Gay Science when he proclaims that God is Dead.
Among the ways of facing this crisis, Existentialism vs Absurdism are two promising alternatives. Existentialism says there is no objective/inherent value but there is a potential for a created value. For Jean-Paul Sartre Existentialism is the realisation that existence precedes essence which means that humans have a radical freedom to create our own meaning through how we live our lives, through the acts of our will.
The Absurd was first talked about by Kierkegaard but was fully developed by Albert Camus into the philosophy of Absurdism in his book The Myth of Sisyphus. The Absurd is the collision between the inherent human hunger for meaning and the impossibility of satisfying this drive in a meaningless world. Camus says we have three options in facing the Absurd: commit suicide, take a leap of faith and believe in some meaning (like Christianity, Buddhism, Marxism, existentialism) something Camus calls philosophical suicide. The third option is Absurdism. Absurdism is the rebellion against the Absurd. It is to refuse to give in and create a meaning. For Camus Absurdism means holding the space of the absurd, staring into its face and rebelling against it and out of this rebellion flows our freedom and passion.

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📚 Further Reading:

Primary:
Camus, A., 2013. The Myth of Sisyphus. Penguin UK.
Camus, A., 2013. The Outsider. Penguin UK.
Sartre, J., 1960 Existentialism is a Humanism

Secondary:
Foley, J., 2014. Albert Camus: From the absurd to revolt. Routledge.
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🎶 Music Used:
1. Magnetic — CO.AG Music
2. Juniper — Kevin MacLeod
3. Mesmerise — Kevin MacLeod
4. End of the Era — Kevin MacLeod
5. Evening Fall Harp — Kevin MacLeod
6. Anguish— Kevin MacLeod
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⌛ Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction
0:48 Nihilism: Meaning and Origins
5:15 Existentialism: Definition and its Solution
8:25 Absurdism
9:24 Camus’s Three Responses to the Absurd
11:45 Why Sisyphus is Camus’s Ideal
13:31 Summary and Conclusion
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#nihilism #existentialism #absurdism #thelivingphilosophy #camus #philosophy #sartre

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⌛  Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
0:48 Nihilism: Meaning and Origins
5:15 Existentialism: Definition and its Solution
8:25 Absurdism
9:24 Camus’s Three Responses to the Absurd
11:45 Why Sisyphus is Camus’s Ideal
13:31 Summary and Conclusion

[considrew]

This was the best summary of absurdist philosophy I've heard. Thank you.

[JohnDoe-pcuk]

So basically:

Nihilism: There is no meaning granted to us by this world
Existentialism: Man is capable of making his own meaning
Absurdism: Man is capable of living a worthwhile life, even without greater meaning

[perrytheplate]

I remember the first time I’ve heard of the Myth of Sisyphus I wondered why Sisyphus didn’t just stop rolling the boulder. Nothing indicated that he was forced to and there was no reason why he would, but he did anyways. I’m so glad I’ve found absurdism because I used to be someone who desperately tried to find excuses not to die.

[noctembra]

This was well organized and presented in a way that I could follow without going to look up a lot of terminology- just focus on the ideas. Looking forward to going through your other videos now!

[bogusbyron]

This is really insightful, thankyou! I've been struggling to come up with definitions for these three, thanks for explaining :-)

[beyondalldreams]

video materials like this really help with growing as a person

[YarrBr]

excellent video. perhaps the best breakdown and summary of these philosophies that one can find on the internet

[kittimer]

holy shit this makes me make sense !!
I lean nihilism when I'm depressed, existentialism is my baseline, and when I'm actually doing okay and happy in life I lean absurdism ! Makes my outlook on life make more sense, just can't believe I never picked up on it myself considering how they're all transformative to each other 😅

[baldevchaudhary]

Beautifully explained. I was struggling to understand the same concepts for years without much knowledge. You have made it easy .Good Morning!

[LifeLessons-ElderMillennial]

The interesting thing about philosophy is that the people writing it often had to "turn the volume up" on what they were trying to express, so that others could grasp the concept. This is why some hate and others love philosophy. It's not designed to make perfect sense, but rather to get a person thinking. It acts as a sort of microscopic view of humanity which, in it's attempt to zoom in on a specific way of thinking creates a distorted image that only makes sense if one keeps in mind that they've zoomed in a great deal on one specific thing.

I tend to think that existentialism in the optimist's default response to 'what's it all mean' because it gives them a sense of agency and control (whether real or imagined is debatable). Nihilism is the pessimist's response to the same question which is to release attachment to human preferences for things to be a certain way, especially when there's a preference that is outside their ability to control. Absurdism in my view shares qualities with both in that it calls for a release of the attachment to meaning and realise the absurd or almost ridiculous dance that ensues from this tug of war when one searches for meaning where none exists.

Personally, I find myself relating more often with existentialism and absurdism. Existentialism in that in the absence of a clear and obvious purpose that at the very least we should recognise the beauty and gift of life and direct our efforts towards things that enrich our lives and that of those around us. I then also acknowledge that so many of the 'challenges' we face in modern society are human-invented moralistic judgements based on rubbish people made up hundreds of years ago and how many stories we've created upon stories to try and convince ourselves that there IS a meaning - and the only genuine and freeing response to this is to laugh, realise the folly and hubris of trying to answer an unanswerable question. We don't know, we can't know and we won't ever know.

[Yggramuhl]

Great summary!
Will check out more of your channel!
I'm generally interested in different philosophies, but whenever I confront myself longer with an author or direction, it all seems madness, so I can't bare it too much.
You mentioned something that very much nails it: The leap of faith, which results in swallowing a lot of bullshit.
I guess that also happens in philosophy, people reading something, getting a feeling of being understood or they feel at home within a direction. Then they start identifying themselves with it, just as in religion or ideology. They start arguing about it, at best case they recommend other works and there is some exchange, worst case they correct or even fight each other as if life itself depends on it.
I find that funny. Sometimes it's inspiring. Sometimes it gets just as bullshitting as all the other things people use to fill the gap which they may perceive as a void, hence the leap of faith.

Guess I went (or go) through these theories in phases, though I didn't even know (much or anything) about them:
I found myself at a point in life where I questioned everything. I was unhappy and felt stuck and imprisoned. I felt what I saw as my purpose wasn't my purpose at all, it was not fulfilling and left me in misery. A great war of my own mind. The Nihilism and at that point the void made clear.
Then I focused on existence itself. With physical experiences, I taught myself to live in the moment and felt what it meant to be alive again. That got my mind back from the void. The void was what used to be filled with false believes. Those believes are partly the rules which society wants people to follow, which for me don't work. So now I am shedding myself from theses believes more and more and recreate myself in the process. Now I got a clear vision of where I would need to be and what I need to do to follow this path to freedom.
So far I am still stuck in the life my decisions have brought be to, but I actively engage a change, I actively define myself anew and this turns to said freedom. It's not an easy path, but for me worth taking, since I've never been happier.
Seems I basically embrace both, Existentialism and Absurdism, though I guess I tend more to the latter, lol.

[russelltyler]

Great video, great insight, great use of vocabulary! SUBBED.

[TKKrueger-pyjb]

Loved it!
I needed a little nap anyway....

[MasterOfCope]

Please correct me if I am wrong, but isn't absurdism a form of existentialism in this case. In the story Sisyphus rebelled against the Gods in order to yet again seek worldly pleasures and Camus told us to imagine him happy with his punishment simply for the fact that he exists and rebels against the punishment. Isn't the decision to rebel against life and its meaninglessness a form of self created meaning?

[AnnaWodzicki]

this was a fantastic explanation thank you so much!

[upl]

OMG, that's so insightful! Just maybe, Sisyphus liked to push the rock uphill everyday. This is really powerful.

[sue.F]

This is very good, but would be better if you slowed down

[kreyrfer]

In emoji terms:
Nihilism: life has no meaning 😭😭
Existentialism: so what u can make your own 🤨
Absurdism: so what you don't need it🧐

[wingardiumlachancla]

I'm still a bit confused because at the end, existentialism and absurdism mean "being conscient that life is ultimately devoided of meaning but struggling against the feeling of hopelessness that it results by pursuing one's subjective motive".