Holds that existence precedes essence — humans are not born with a predetermined purpose, but define their own meaning through free choices and actions.

Argues that humans’ inherent drive to find meaning conflicts with the universe’s silence on the matter, producing “the absurd” — and that this tension should be embraced rather than resolved with false answers.

Holds that life has no inherent meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value — any meaning people find is a human invention rather than a discovery about the world.