Abstract
In his text "The Absurd", Thomas Nagel problematizes the definition of the absurd offered by Albert Camus in "The Myth of Sisyphus". The absurd is not a conflict between our reason, which seeks meaningful relations in the world, and the silent world, but a conflict within ourselves.
It is a clash between two attitudes that are characteristic of the human being, namely between our seriousness and our capacity to take a step back (at times in the form of an ironic distance). If such a clash defines us, the absurd does not represent a problem to which we should look for a solution.
It makes part of our very humanity. This paper reconstructs several layers of the dispute between Camus and Nagel, appreciating their common contribution, which is the willingness of philosophy to treat nonsense as a relevant philosophical topic.