Absurdity

Absurdity, in general, is a lack of proportion or similarity between two things being compared. For example, a couple might be considered absurd if one partner is much more attractive than the other. In the case of Camus' logic, absurdity is equivalent to the meaninglessness and incomprehensibility of the world: Man's reason naturally wants to try to understand the world according to human terms, but the world is ultimately irrational and inhuman and, as such, cannot be explained or given any meaning.

Suicide

The question of whether or not one should commit suicide is, according to Camus, the first question that philosophy should answer. Ultimately, after acknowledging the absurdity of the world, Camus rejects the legitimacy of suicide, claiming that it is an abandonment of the philosophical truths he began with. The absurd man finds joy in simply experiencing. Death is the end of experience and, therefore...