Irrational events constitute a significant portion of human experiences, emerging throughout one’s life. According to Feinberg, who evaluates and extends Nagel’s understanding of absurdity, there are five categories of nonsensical actions (Feinberg, 2018). Feinberg suggests pointless and trivial types of absurd elements in the individual experiences. The present work discusses the two highlighted types of absurdity, presenting original examples and explaining how they can be avoided through maintaining awareness.
Pointless, also referred to as worthless activities, occupy the beginning of the absurdity spectrum. For instance, washing a table that was already cleaned or moving objects only to relocate them can be examples of pointless endeavors. As this act has no intrinsic meaning or benefits, it is considered worthless. On the other hand, trivial actions typically have some reason to be conducted; however, Feinberg notes that the advantages of such activities are non-significant compared to the resources used (Feinberg, 2018). Excellent examples of such acts could be searching for the best discount deals in a supermarket while contributing a tremendous amount of time and receiving minute financial compensation. Given that the effort performed to gain the discounts drastically outweighs the achieved results, this action can be regarded as trivial.
From my perspective, such types of absurdity can be common among various individuals. Although some activities might have little or no meaning behind them, some people will still conduct them regardless of the lack of achieved benefits. However, if the person were to be aware of the irrationality of their actions, they might avoid such acts in the future (Feinberg, 2018). Reflecting on the performed activities and analyzing their purpose is not always a simple task for an individual who is used to being engaged in the same type of actions. Subconsciously, such endeavors might become personal habits completed without additional consideration or thought. In this regard, asking the person to evaluate their customs and reasoning could help them realize the futility and compel them to contemplate their activities’ absurdity.
Reference
Feinberg, J. (2018). Absurd self-fulfillment. In E. D. Klemke & S. M. Cahn (Eds.), The meaning of life: A reader (4th ed., pp. 147–177). Oxford University.