The sublimity of the ABSURD as a paradox in physics and metaphysics
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: We, as Homo sapiens, are inconsistent creatures. One minute, we might be overflowing with energetic feelings of vitality, meaning, and purpose; the next, we might suddenly feel sapped by a nagging sense that nothing we do really signifies anything grand or important. Ultimately, nothing we do matters at all. French thinker Albert Camus (1913–1960) was fascinated by this inconsistency. In his 1942 essay ‘The Myth of Sisyphus’, he sets out to explore it (does it really signify anything), writing there seems to me to be a severe philosophical query, that is, suicide. Deciding if one’s life is worth living consists of and thus comes to the foundational query of philosophy, which ultimately construes that no legitimate reasoning can be put forward to commit physical suicide, yet, philosophical suicide, as therein lies sapiens’ survival. Therefore, the article delves into this foundational question of philosophy. Contribution: Thus, the main purpose and aim of this article is to propagate a positive necessity regarding suicide. And the answer to this is that there is no affirmative qualification in taking one‘s own life. The reason for this will be explained in the article and specifically in the conclusion.
Source: Verbum et Ecclesia
Author: Johan A. van Rooyen
Institution: University of South Africa
Language: Dutch
Subfield: Philosophy
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $605
OpenAlex ID: W7130436844