Absurdism versus Existentialism
Both start from a person's own existence in a world that does not hand over a meaning. Existentialists see freedom in that. Camus saw a clash that never closes, and he denied being an existentialist.
What they share
Both start from the individual's own existence in a world that does not supply a meaning. Albert Camus is often grouped with the existentialists, although he denied the label.
Where they differ
- A clash or a freedom. For Camus the absurd is a lasting clash between our need for meaning and the world's silence. It is to be lived with and faced, not solved. For existentialists, existence comes before essence: we are what we make of ourselves through our free choices, so the lack of given meaning is also the ground of freedom.
- The leap. Camus called turning to faith or a higher meaning a kind of “philosophical suicide”. The Danish thinker Kierkegaard, counted among the existentialists, took such a leap, which he saw as going beyond reason.
- The label. Camus said plainly that he was not an existentialist. He said he did not believe in reason enough to believe in a system, and he worried that Sartre's faith in history would clash with personal freedom.
A question that separates them
- Is there a clash? “We want the world to make sense, and it does not; that gap never closes” against “No meaning was promised, so there is no clash; meaning is ours to make”. The first is Camus.
- What to do about it. “Do not cover the gap with hope; face it” against “A meaning we make is as good as any”.
The two overlap on most questions, so many people will land between them, and that is fair.
Written by epchē in our own words, and checked against independent sources on 8 October 2026. The sources are listed below.
Read each on its own
Sources we used
- Albert Camus · Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, read on 8 October 2026
- Albert Camus · Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, read on 8 October 2026
- Existentialism · Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, read on 8 October 2026
- Existentialism · Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, read on 8 October 2026