The Absurd and Camus The Absurd is a much misunderstood philosophical category, primarily due to its sense of linguistic finality both in French and English. To use the expression "that's absurd!" brings with it an automatic negative judgement and a feeling that all further discussion is thereby closed. For Camus, "absurdity" is the given premise of all modern experience, an uneasy feeling, above all, a sense of contradiction, and is only the begining of a perception of life, its meaning and consequences. Unlike the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)--whose influence on him is considerable--Camus does not need to