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Why Life Is AbsurdBy Rivka Weinberg

January 11, 2015 8:15 pm

TheStoneisaforumforcontemporaryphilosophersandotherthinkersonissuesbothtimelyandtimeless.

A Consideration of Time, Space, Relativity, Meaning and Absurdity(Yep, All of It)

I.Relativity

DZIGAN:ProfessorEinsteinsaid,Intheworld,thereistime.Andjustasthereistime,thereisanotherthing:space.Spaceandtime,timeandspace.Andthesetwothings,hesaid,arerelative.

Doyouknowwhatrelativemeans?

SHUMACHER:Sigh.Nu?Thepoint?Continue.

DZIGAN:Thereisnopersonthesedayswhodoesntknowwhatrelativemeans.Iwillexplainittoyouwithananalogyandsoonyouwillalsoknow.Relativityislikethis:Ifyouhavesevenhairsonyourhead,itsveryfewbutifyouhavesevenhairsinyourmilk,itsverymany.[1]

II.Absurdity

Inthe1870s,LeoTolstoybecamedepressedaboutlifesfutility.Hehaditallbutsowhat?InMyConfession,hewrote:Soonerorlatertherewillcomediseasesanddeath(theyhadcomealready)tomydearonesandto

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me,andtherewouldbenothingleftbutstenchandworms.Allmyaffairs,nomatterwhattheymightbe,wouldsoonerorlaterbeforgotten,andImyselfshouldnotexist.SowhyshouldIworryaboutthesethings?

LifesbrevitybotheredTolstoysomuchthatheresolvedtoadoptreligiousfaithtoconnecttotheinfiniteafterlife,eventhoughheconsideredreligiousbeliefirrationalandmonstrous.WasTolstoyright?Islifesoshortastomakeamockeryofpeopleandtheirpurposesandtorenderhumanlifeabsurd?

Inafamous1971paper,TheAbsurd,ThomasNagelarguesthatlifesabsurdityhasnothingtodowithitslength.Ifashortlifeisabsurd,hesays,alongerlifewouldbeevenmoreabsurd:Ourlivesaremereinstantsevenonageologicaltimescale,letaloneacosmicone;wewillallbedeadanyminute.Butofcoursenoneoftheseevidentfactscanbewhatmakeslifeabsurd,ifitisabsurd.Forsupposewelivedforever;wouldnotalifethatisabsurdifitlasts70yearsbeinfinitelyabsurdifitlastedthrougheternity?

Thislineofreasoninghasaniceringtoitbutwhetherlengtheninganabsurdthingwillrelieveitofitsabsurditydependsonwhythethingisabsurdandhowmuchyoulengthenit.Alongerlifemightbelessabsurdevenifaninfinitelifewouldnotbe.Ashortpoemthatisabsurdbecauseitiswritteningibberishwouldbeevenmoreabsurdifitprattledonforlonger.But,sayIdecidedtowearaskirtsoshortitcouldbemistakenforabelt.Onmywaytoteachmyclass,acolleagueinterceptsme:

Yourskirt,shesays,isabsurd.

Absurd?Why?Iask.

Becauseitissoshort!shereplies.

Ifashortskirtisabsurd,alongerskirtwouldbeevenmoreabsurd,Iretort.

Nowwhosbeingabsurd?Theskirtisabsurdbecauseitissoshort.Alongerskirtwouldbelessabsurd.Why?Becauseitdoesnotsufferfromthe

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featurethatmakestheshortskirtabsurd,namely,aridiculouslyshortlength.Thesamegoesforaonehourhungerstrike.Thepointofahungerstrikeistoshowthatonefeelssostronglyaboutsomethingthatoneiswillingtosufferalackofnourishmentforalongtimeinordertomakeapoint.Ifyouonlystarveforanhour,youhavenotmadeyourpoint.Youronehourhungerstrikeisabsurdbecauseitistooshort.Ifyoulengthenedittoonemonthoroneyear,youmightbetakenmoreseriously.Iflifeisabsurdbecauseitsshort,itmightbelessabsurdifitweresuitablylonger.

Absurdityoccurswhenthingsaresoillfittingorillsuitedtotheirpurposeorsituationastoberidiculous,likewearingaclowncostumetoa(noncircus)jobinterviewordemandingthatyourdogtellyouwhattimeitis.Isthelifespanofarelativelyhealthyandwellpreservedhuman,saysomewherebetween75and85,soshortastorenderitabsurd,illsuitedtoreasonablehumanpurposes?

III.Time

Time,asweallknewbeforeEinsteinelaborated,isrelative.Itflieswhenwearehavingfun;itcreepsinthispettypacefromdaytodaywhenwearewrackedwithguilt.FiveminutesistooshortatimetoexplainEinsteinstheoryofrelativitybutitsjusttherightlengthoftimefortheDziganandShumacherroutineaboutit.Ourperceptionoftimeisrelativetospace,yes,butalsotopurpose,tootherspansoftime,totaskandprobablytootherthingsIhavenotthoughtof.

Toassesswhetherhumanlifeisusuallytooshort,considerhumanaimsandpurposes.Peoplearecommonlythoughttohavetwocentralconcerns:loveandwork.Somuchhasbeenwrittenabouthowlittletimethereistodoboththatweneednotelaborate.SufficeittosaythatwhenpeopleaskmehowImanagetobeaphilosopher,mother,teacher,wife,writer,etc.,theanswerisobvious:bydoingeverythingbadly.Wecouldabandonloveorabandonwork,butgivinguponefundamentalhumanpursuitinordertohavetimeforabettershotattheotherleavesuswith,atbest,halfalife.Andevenhalfalifeisnotreallyaccessibletomostofus

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lifeistooshortforworkalone.

Bythetimewehaveaninklingaboutwhatsortofworkwemightenjoyanddowell,mostofushavelittletimetodoit.Bythetimewefigureanythingout,wearealreadylosingourminds.Agerelatedcognitivedeclinebeginsinour20s,justasourprefrontalcortex,whichisresponsibleforjudgment,isfinallycompletingitslengthymaturationprocess.Therateofcognitivedeclineincreasesasweage,withasteepincreaseafterage60.

Wedontfaremuchbetterwithtimetolove.Ittakestimeandexperiencetodevelopthewisdomandmaturitytochooseanappropriatepartnerandlovehimorherinawaythatdoesntmakeeveryonemiserable.Relationshipsneedattention,andattentiontakestime.Childrentakelotsoftimetoo,andsomereflectionandexperience,yetwearebiologicallymadetobearchildrenwhenweareyoungandunwise.

Maybetheproblemisnotthatwedonthaveenoughtimebutthatwewastethetimewehave.Senecafamouslythoughtthis.(Itisnotthatwehaveashorttimetolive,butthatwewastealotofit.)Mostofusseemunabletorefrainfromwastingtime.Itistherarepersonindeedwhocanbemaximallyefficientandproductive.Fortherestofusthatis,foralmostallofusSenecasadviceaboutnotwastingtimeseemstruebutuseless.

Ifwedevotedourentirelivestoonegreatpaintingoronebeautifulmelody,evenifthatworkwasamasterpiece,wemightfeelabsurdtohavespentourentirelivesonit.Alifesospentisboundtohavebeennarrow,confiningandoddlyobsessive.Thatdoesntseemtobeareasonablewaytospendonesentirelife.Itseemsoutofscale.Butiflifeweremuchlonger,wemighthaveenoughtimetowritemanybooks,paintmanypaintings,composemanymelodiesand,overacoupleofhundredyearsorso,getreallygoodatit.Wemightevenfeelfulfilled,accomplishedanddecidedlynonabsurd.Maybenot,butwewouldhavemoreofachancethanwedonow,inourfleeting,ludicrous,minutelifespan.

Whatifwelivedfor,say,500or1,000years?Wouldourambitiontend

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togrowtoscale,makinglifeseemabsurdlyshortforhumanpurposes,whateveritslength?Isithumannaturetoadoptoutsizedambitions,condemningourselvestoabsurditybyhavingconceptionsofreasonableachievementthatwedonthavethetimetorealize?Whyhaventwescaleddownourambitionstofitthetimewehave?Istheproblemournatureorourlifespan?

Theremaybenowaytobesurebutconsiderthefactthat,althoughwehaveambitionsunsuitedtoourlifespan,wedontseemtoconsistentlyadoptambitionsunsuitedtoourspeciesinrespectsotherthantime.Itsnotabsurdtousthatwecannotflyorhibernate.Wedontthinkthefactthatwecanholdourbreathforminutesratherthanhoursormemorizeafewpagesratherthanatomemakeshumanlifemeaningless.Wedontfindthatourinabilitytoreadeachothersminds,speaktoanimals,glowinthedark,run60milesanhour,solvecomplexequationsinourheadssimultaneouslyorliftthousandpoundweightsmakesasadmockeryofhumanexistence.Thismakesitmorelikelythat,givenalongerlifespan,lifemightseemlessabsurdlyshortforourpurposes.

Justasalifespancanbetooshort,itcanbetoolong.Formany,itisfartoolongalready.Manypeopleareboredwithlife,irritatedbythehumancondition,exhaustedfromsuffering,tiredofliving.Forthoseforwhomlifeistoolong,alongerlifewouldbeworseand,quitepossibly,moreabsurd.Forsome,however,lifeseemstoolongbecauseitstooshort,meaninglifeisrenderedsoabsurdbybeingshortthatevenashortabsurdlifefeelstoolongbecauseitispointless.Alifemadeabsurdbecauseitistooshortwouldberenderedlessabsurdifitweresignificantlylonger.

Amillionyearorinfinitelifemightbetoolongforhumannatureandpurposestoo,thoughsuchalifewouldbesoradicallydifferentthatwecanonlyspeculate.Aninfinitelifemightbecometedious,andpeopleworldweary.Lifetimelovecommitments,asourceofmeaningnow,wouldlikelyceasetoexist.Amillionyearorinfinitelifespanmightbetoolongandslipintoabsurdity.Toeverythingitstime.Bothatooshortlifespanandatoolonglifespanpresentabsurdistchallengestoameaningfullife.

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Fora500or1,000yearlifespantoworktoreducelifesabsurdity,wewouldhavetobeabletosustainasenseofselfoverthattime.Solongasourmemoriesfunctionwellandourpsychologicalcontinuitycanbemaintained,oursenseofidentitymightholdup(atleasttoadegreenotallthatdifferentfromourcurrentcondition).Thereisalsothematterofperception.Asweage,timeseemstopassmorequickly,probablybecausewebecomeaccustomedtolifeandpaylessattention.Iflifeweremuchlonger,wewouldhavetofindawaytonoticesothatitdidntseemtostillpassinaflashofourinattention.Andthenthereisourhealth.Clearly,itwillnotbelessabsurdtolengthenourperiodofdecrepitude.Thelongerlifespanwouldhavetobemostlyspentindecenthealth.Anappropriatelylengthenedlifespanmightmakelifemuchlessabsurd.

IV.Space

Intheschemeofthings,humanstakeupverylittlespace.TheEarthisaminisculepartoftheuniverse.Andeachindividualtakesupsolittlespaceonthisminisculepartoftheuniverseastooccupyalmostnospaceatall,relativetotheentireuniverseoreventotheplanetEarth.OurphysicalsmallnessrelativetotheEarthandtheuniverseistakenbysometoimplyinsignificanceand,inturn,ourabsurdity.

Butabsurdityoccurswhenthingsareillsuitedtotheirpurposes,andneitherhumansizenorthespaceallottedtohumansisillsuitedtohumanpurposes.Unlikethetimeofahumanlifespan,whichisillsuitedtoourpurposes,thespaceallottedtohumansisnt.Wereneithertoosmallnortoolargetodowhatwewanttodo.Wearenotforcedtolivecrampedintinycaves;wearenotsolightastobeblownaroundbythewind.Ifwehadtostandoneachothersbackstoreachtheleavesthatweneededforsustenance,thatmightmakeusfeelabsurdlysmall.Butwedprobablyadapttoaccommodatethisfeatureofourphysiologyorbuildladdersforeasierforaging.Iftheatmospherethinnedoutatfourfeet,wemightfeelabsurdlylarge,crawlingawkwardlyonourbelliesinordertobreathe.Yet,ifwewerebellycrawlersthatwouldseemnormaltousandourbodieswouldadapttocrawling.Wehaveevolvedandadaptedtoourspace,bothtothe

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spacewetakeupandtothespaceavailabletous.

Spaceismoremanipulablethantime.Webuildchairsandtablestohumansize;weblastthroughmountainstoclearspaceforroads.Webuildlivingspacehorizontallyandverticallysothatwecanliveindenselypopulatedcities.Tosomeextent,weveconqueredspacebyincreasingthespeedofhumantravelanddevelopingtechnologiestoenableustocommunicateeasilyacrossgreatdistances.Thishasmadelifemoreconvenientbutnotlessabsurdbecausetheabsurdityofhumanlifeisnotaspaceproblem.Givenenoughtime,wecouldcovermorespace,butmorespacewillnotsolveourtimerelateddifficulties.

Peoplehavespatialneeds,but,giventhatwecanmanipulateoradapttoourspatialparameters,oursizeandthespacewehavetoliveindonotseemcrucialtooursenseofourselves.Veryshortlivesseemincomplete,eventragic,butwedonthavecomparableviewsaboutpeoplewhoareverylargeorverysmall.Sowhocaresifwearesmall?Thatisanidiosyncrasy,ifyoucaretonoteit.Itdoesnotentailourinsignificance.Thefactthatwereminisculerelativetothevastuniverseisnotawayofshowingthatourrelationshiptospacemakesourlivesabsurd.Itsjustalongwayofsayingwearesmall(smallisarelativeterm,andthislongwayofsayingwearesmallspecifieswhatwearesmallinrelationto).Oursizedoesnotmatter.

TheEnglishpoetAndrewMarvell,inhisfamouspoemToHisCoyMistress,beginshisrequestforseizingthedayforlovebysayingthatifhecould,hewouldwaitandwoofarlongerbeforegoingatit:Hadwebutworldenough,andtime/Thiscoynesslady,werenocrime.Marvellwasrightabouttimebutwrongabouttheworld.Wehavetoolittletime,buttheresworldaplenty.

V.Meaning

Theabsurdityofhumanlifeposesachallengetoitsmeaning.Absurdityandmeaningfulnessdontgotogether.This,however,doesnotmeanthatiflifewerenotabsurdthenitwouldhavemeaning.Removingtheobstacleofabsurditydoesnotentailthatmeaningrushesin.Butifwe

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cannotremovetheobstacleofabsurditythenitwillbehardtoconcludethatlifehasmeaningordeterminewhatthatmeaningmightbe.Theclownsuitisstandinginourway.

FOOTNOTE:[1]ExcerptfromthecomedyroutineEinstein/Weinstein,bytheYiddishcomedyduoShimonDziganandYisroelShumacher,audiorecording,Savethemusic.com,theJewishMusicArchive,JewishsongsperformedbyShimonDziganandYisroelShumacher.TranslatedfromtheYiddishaudiobyRivkaWeinberg.

RivkaWeinbergisanassociateprofessorofphilosophyatScrippsCollege,inClaremont,Calif.Sheistheauthorofabookonprocreativeethics,TheRiskofaLifetime,forthcomingfromOxfordUniversityPress.

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