BK. Call of the absurd

Here’s a refined exploration of Bernardo Kastrup’s concept of the “call of the absurd”, grounded in his Meaning in Absurdity and related reflections:

The “Call of the Absurd” — What It Means

1. Phenomenon & Significance

Kastrup introduces the “calls of the absurd” as surreal, paradoxical phenomena—like spontaneous uncanny experiences—that disrupt the coherence of our consensus reality. These events combine symbolism, contradiction, and physical presence, compelling us to confront the underlying assumptions of what we call “reality.”

2. Undermining Realism & Bivalence

Such calls challenge realism (the idea that the world exists independently of our perception) and bivalence (that every proposition is either true or false). Kastrup argues that breakthroughs in quantum physics (like entanglement) and correlations between mind and matter make realism untenable. As a result, we need to abandon bivalent logic and turn toward intuitionistic logic and constructivism, which recognize that things can be simultaneously true and false, or real and imaginary.

3. Psychological Roots & Depth Psychology

Going deeper, Kastrup aligns these absurd calls with the psychological insights of Carl Jung. He likens them to protrusions of unconscious meta-realities, revealing rich, mythopoetic layers of the psyche that spill into our everyday world. These events are both psychological and physical, bridging inner and outer realms.

4. Integrating Science, Philosophy & Myth

Kastrup finds coherence in linking these insights across diverse fields:

• Kuhn’s constructivism reflects how scientific paradigms shift.
• Physics (e.g. quantum entanglement) undermines strict realism.
• Jung’s archetypes reveal the symbolic unreal in the unconscious.
  Together, they weave a worldview where logic is a fragile construct—a thin crust atop an unfathomable core of imagination and potential. 

5. The Challenge & Opportunity

Addressing the call of the absurd is disorienting—when logic is exposed as constructed, we may feel untethered. But Kastrup reframes this as an opportunity: freedom to reshape reality, shed the limitations of reductionist thinking, and embrace a more expansive, imaginative ontology. Amid absurdity lies meaning, a springboard to renewed purpose.

Key Excerpt — “The Calls of the Absurd”

Here’s an illuminating passage from Meaning in Absurdity:

“The calls of the absurd – with their simultaneous contradictoriness, symbolism, and physical reality – have led us to review some of the latest, groundbreaking results … These results … have exposed the untenability of realism. … We have thus been led into intuitionistic logic and constructivism … reality is the outcome of a coherent mental construction … Rationality is a thin, limited crust around an unfathomable core of the unformed; the meaningful irrational; the realm of the imagination.”

Summary: “Call of the Absurd” in Context

• What it is: A symbolic, contradictory event that fractures the normal logic of reality.
• Why it matters: It disrupts foundational metaphysical assumptions (realism, bivalence).
• Where it leads: Toward logic as mind-constructed, toward mythic imagination, and toward a more fluid, meaning-rich ontology.
• Ultimate takeaway: The absurd isn’t nihilistic—it’s a doorway to creative transformation.

Would you like a deeper reflection on how this concept connects with Analytic Idealism, or how it compares to mystical notions of apophatic experience?