In This Selection Nagel Reflects on the Sense of Absurdity

question 12

True/False

In this selection Nagel reflects on the sense of absurdity that most of us feel from time to time. The sense of absurdity arises, he says, from the "collision between the seriousness with which we take our lives and the perpetual possibility of regarding everything about which we are serious as arbitrary, or open to doubt." Nagel thinks that Camus's response to the absurd (defiance or scorn) is inappropriate; it's "romantic and slightly self-pitying." He prefers instead to approach the absurd with acceptance, with irony instead of heroism or despair.
-Nagel argues that what makes life absurd is the clash between the seriousness with which we take our lives and the continual possibility of regarding our seriousness as arbitrary or dubious.

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Definitions:

Obligation to Pay Rent

A legal duty of a tenant to make timely payments to a landlord for the use of a property or space.

Possibility of Reverter

A future interest held by a grantor, or the grantor's successors, that allows the property to revert back if certain conditions are met.

Complementary Estate

Describes property rights or interests that are held by different parties but are necessary to the full use and enjoyment of each other's property.

Qualified Fee

An estate in land that is subject to certain conditions or limitations, potentially limiting the ownership duration or rights.