Absurdity and the leap of faith

Abstract

Albert Camus described the absurd as the conflict between man's continual search for meaning and his inability to find any meaning in a cold, indifferent universe. The focus of Absurdism pertains to the qualities of existence as they are prevalent in the physical realm of being. While Absurdism doesn't reject the possibility of a divine being, it states that we simply cannot know if there is anything past what we can observe with our senses. In order to elude the absurd, an individual may take a leap of faith and seize upon the possibility of a divine nature. The discussion of the leap of faith and its rationality is the prime focus of this essay. Dealing with the implications and the grounds on which it is acceptable to make a leap of faith, we utilize philosophical arguments and ideas from William James, Soren Kierkegaard, and Albert Camus to analyze the legitimacy of such an action. The scope of this essay deals with societal as well as personal implications for living with, or eluding the absurd, as well as why such a leap is necessary in some capacity in every individual's life.