On the Existential and Moral Dilemmas ofStaying Human in a Rhinocerized World

Eugene Ionesco, one of the most important representatives of the Theatre of the Absurd, emphasizes in his plays the lack of communication between people and the absurdity of the world. Arguing that theology and philosophy cannot explain their reason for existence and cannot convince themselves of the need to give meaning to life, Eugene Ionesco maintains that truth in fiction is more meaningful than everyday reality. For this study, his play Rhinoceros was chosen. The study draws parallels between the rhinoceritis in the play and the creature-like state into which modern people have been transformed, highlighting the difficulty and necessity of staying human (or, more accurately, becoming human). In doing so, he conducts an existential investigation that demonstrates how fanaticism gradually deepens, how dictatorships are formed with everyone's consent, and how people contribute to establishing regimes that will eventually oppress them. As a solution, he points to human consciousness and the existential power to act with that consciousness. Instead of saying, 'If I don't do it, someone will certainly do it; what I don't do, others will do it', he draws attention to the fact that reality is only in action, in work. Because human; his life consists of the sum of his actions.

Dergi

BEYTULHIKME-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY

Yıl

2025

Cilt

15

Sayı

1

Sayfa

163-184

ISSN

1303-8303

DOI

10.29228/beytulhikme.80614

WoS UID

WOS:001467740600008