In philosophy “the Absurd” refers to the conflict between the human tendency to seek inherent value and meaning in life and the human inability to find any.

In this context absurd does not mean “logically impossible,” but rather “humanly impossible.”

The universe and the human mind do not each separately cause the Absurd, but rather, the Absurd arises by the contradictory nature of the two existing simultaneously.

Absurd-ism is a philosophical school of thought stating that the efforts of humanity to find inherent meaning will ultimately fail because the sheer amount of information, including the vast unknown, makes ‘certainty’ impossible.

As a philosophy, absurd-ism also explores the fundamental nature of the Absurd and how individuals, once becoming conscious of the Absurd, should react to it.

Absurd-ism is very closely related to existentialism and nihilism and has its origins in Soren Kierkegaard the Danish philosopher of 19th century. He chose to confront the crisis humans faced with the Absurd by developing existential philosophy.

The aftermath of World war II provided the social environment that stimulated views of absurdity and allowed for their popular development, especially in the devastated France.