Single Idea 20761

[catalogued under 23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 3. Angst]

Full Idea

To declare that existence is absurd is to deny that it can ever be given a meaning; to say that it is ambiguous is to assert that its meaning is never fixed.

Gist of Idea

If existence is absurd it can never have a meaning

Source

Simone de Beauvoir (Ethics of Ambiguity [1948], p.129), quoted by Kevin Aho - Existentialism: an introduction 6 'Bad'

Book Reference

Aho,Kevin: 'Existentialism: an introduction' [Polity 2014], p.103


A Reaction

Absurdity precludes meaning, but being meaningless doesn't entail absurdity. Asteroids are meaningless. Presumably if existence is meaningless now (as in a depression), but it might possibly become meaningful, then it can't qualify as 'absurd'.