In Praise of Nonsense

In Praise of Nonsense

There is an old saying, "sense makes the world go round." But what if we turn that saying on its head and suggest that nonsense is the true force that drives the universe? It sounds absurd, and yet, as we will see, there may be more truth to this statement than we might think.

First, we must define what we mean by "nonsense." Nonsense can be understood in two different senses: the first is as something meaningless, devoid of any significance or relevance. The second sense in which nonsense can be understood is as something that is nonsensical, irrational or absurd.

When we speak of the first sense of the term, it is easy to dismiss nonsense as useless or trivial. But it is precisely this point that brings us to the second sense of the term. For it is in the nonsensical, irrational and absurd that we often find the most profound truths.

It is not uncommon in philosophy to find that which appears most absurd to actually have a deeper meaning. Friedrich Nietzsche, for example, famously proclaims in his book Thus Spoke Zarathustra that "God is dead." This statement, taken at face value, is a nonsensical claim, but Nietzsche wasn't simply being facetious. Instead, he was drawing attention to the fact that traditional notions of morality and religion no longer held the same meaning that they once did.

Similarly, Albert Camus in his book The Myth of Sisyphus seeks to find meaning in an existence that, at first glance, appears to be completely absurd and meaningless. Through his exploration of the absurd, Camus uncovers a deep understanding of human existence and our relationship to the world we inhabit.

The nonsense, therefore, serves as a deconstruction of what we take for granted. It shakes the ground we stand on and forces us to examine the world from a different perspective. In this, it allows us to see that there are always alternative ways of viewing things, and that often ignorance can be more important than knowledge.

Moreover, the outright absurdity of nonsense is often what makes it so powerful. Simply put, sometimes to make sense of the world we need to abandon reason altogether. This is why Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a classic. The novel is a celebration of nonsensical ideas and ideas that defy logic or reason. And yet, in the world created by Carroll, these ideas make perfect sense