Absurdity
121existentialism — existentialist, adj., n. existentialistic, adj. existentialistically, adv. /eg zi sten sheuh liz euhm, ek si /, n. Philos. a philosophical attitude associated esp. with Heidegger, Jaspers, Marcel, and Sartre, and opposed to rationalism and… …
122reductio ad absurdum — /ri duk tee oh ad ab serr deuhm, zerr , shee oh /, Logic. a reduction to an absurdity; the refutation of a proposition by demonstrating the inevitably absurd conclusion to which it would logically lead. [1735 45; < L reductio ad absurdum] * * * ▪ …
123Voltaire — Voltairean, Voltairian, adj., n. /vohl tair , vol /; Fr. /vawl terdd /, n. (François Marie Arouet) 1694 1778, French philosopher, historian, satirist, dramatist, and essayist. * * * orig. François Marie Arouet born Nov. 21, 1694, Paris, France… …
124Continental philosophy — Collective term for the many distinct philospohical traditions, methods, and styles that predominated on the European continent (particularly in France and Germany) from the time of Immanuel Kant. It is usually understood in contrast with… …
125paradoxes of Zeno — Arguments by which Zeno of Elea upheld the doctrine of Parmenides that real Being is unique and unchanging. Zeno s arguments were aimed at discrediting the beliefs in plurality and motion that were inconsistent with Parmenides doctrine. His best… …
126Sedaris, David — ▪ 2006 Only a few years earlier, American essayist David Sedaris had refused to call himself a writer, but by 2005 he was reading his books to standing room only audiences, had been nominated for two Grammy Awards, and was the editor of an… …
127French literature — Introduction the body of written works in the French language produced within the geographic and political boundaries of France. The French language was one of the five major Romance languages to develop from Vulgar Latin as a result of the …
128theatre, Western — ▪ art Introduction history of the Western theatre from its origins in pre Classical antiquity to the present. For a discussion of drama as a literary form, see dramatic literature and the articles on individual national literatures.… …
