Thomas Negel's Absurdity Summary

1. Thomas Negel’s main point on why life is absurd is due to the fact nothing that we do right now will matter in the future, and vice versa. An example that I can give to an absurd event; is school. Everyone has had the thought of: Is school really the best option to be successful in the future? Hearing how jobs are getting harder and harder to obtain, how everyone has a bachelor in some type of program, and how you need a PhD if you want to get anywhere in life. This idea and image that society creates that if you don’t go to school you wont be successful in life. Certainly that’s all in what you do as an individual. You decide your future, but sometimes society changes how you think and shapes you to believe like everyone else, just because they say so. But every now and then I will always have the thought of; does me going to school, staying up till 4:00am to do my reasoning and morality assignment, and paying seven thousand dollars a year to learn, really matter and have meaning in life?

2. According to other people, life is absurd because what we do now in present
For negel the absurdity part comes into place when one’s self actualization and consciousness come together with their existence. So in a sense we are absurd because we can assess our life’s and look at pass mistakes we have done. That is what makes us absurd. According to Negel the reason why some animals cannot be absurd is because they can’t do what other animals do. Other animals being humans, and our ability for self actualization. For instance, an animal like a rat; its life is not absurd, due to the fact of its lack of ability to reflect on its own life. It cannot assess its own life like humans. Animals do not carry this burden that humans have, mindful reflection. The idea of an animal not having the capability to be absurd is mainly revolved around the idea of reflection. Animals do not recognize themselves in such a way that acknowledges itself to reflect upon their dwelling