Would you rather be an absurdist or an existentialist? Here's the difference between the two.

"Existentialism and absurdism are two of the most popular philosophies in the world, particularly on social media. Existentialism is often represented by Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, while absurdism is often represented by Albert Camus. All were French intellectuals active in the decades following World War II, and they knew one another. They drank, they danced, and they laughed together. But absurdism and existentialism are not the same."

"The existentialist finds it extremely embarrassing that God does not exist, for there disappears with Him all possibility of finding values in an intelligible heaven... There is no longer any good a priori, since we are now upon the plane where there are only men... Everything is indeed permitted if God does not exist, and man is in consequence forlorn ... he discovers forthwith, that he is without excuse."

Both philosophies begin from the premise that no divine being provides purpose or preordained values, leaving human life without inherent meaning. One approach urges acceptance of life's incoherent mystery, advocating reconciliation with absurdity and finding ways to live amidst meaninglessness. The other stresses that humans must create values and take full responsibility for their choices, since there is no predetermined human nature or external moral law. That second approach emphasizes anguish, freedom, and the moral burden of self-definition, insisting that the absence of God removes excuses and places the onus of value-creation squarely on individuals.

Read at Big Think