Comic Relief: A Comprehensive Philosophy of Humor develops an inclusive theory that integrates psychological, aesthetic, and ethical issues relating to humor • Offers an enlightening and accessible foray into the serious business of humor • Reveals how standard theories of humor fail to explain its true nature and actually support traditional prejudices against humor as being antisocial, irrational, and foolish • Argues that humor's benefits overlap significantly with those of philosophy • Includes a foreword by Robert Mankoff, Cartoon Editor of The New Yorker
Foreword - Robert Mankoff, Cartoon Editor of The New Yorker. Preface. 1 No Laughing Matter: The Traditional Rejection of Humor and Traditional Theories of Humor. Humor, Anarchy, and Aggression. The Superiority Theory: Humor as Anti-social. The Incongruity Theory: Humor as Irrational. The Relief Theory: Humor as a Pressure Valve. The Minority Opinion of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas: Humor as Playful Relaxation. The Relaxation Theory of Robert Latta. 2 Fight or Flight - or Laughter: The Psychology of Humor. Humor and Disengagement. Humor as Play. Laughter as a Play Signal. 3 From Lucy to I Love Lucy : The Evolution of Humor. What Was First Funny? The Basic Pattern in Humor: The Playful Enjoyment of a Cognitive Shift Is Expressed in Laughter. The Worth of Mirth. 4 That Mona Lisa Smile: The Aesthetics of Humor. Humor as Aesthetic Experience. Humor and Other Ways of Enjoying Cognitive Shifts: The Funny, Tragic, Grotesque, Macabre, Horrible, Bizarre, and Fantastic. Tragedy vs. Comedy: Is Heavy Better than Light? Enough with the Jokes: Spontaneous vs. Prepared Humor. 5 Laughing at the Wrong Time: The Negative Ethics of Humor. Eight Traditional Moral Objections. The Shortcomings in the Contemporary Ethics of Humor. A More Comprehensive Approach: The Ethics of Disengagement. First Harmful Effect: Irresponsibility. Second Harmful Effect: Blocking Compassion. Third Harmful Effect: Promoting Prejudice. 6 Having a Good Laugh: The Positive Ethics of Humor. Intellectual Virtues Fostered by Humor. Moral Virtues Fostered by Humor. Humor during the Holocaust. 7 Homo Sapiens and Homo Ridens: Philosophy and Comedy. Was Socrates the First Stand-up Comedian? Humor and the Existentialists. The Laughing Buddha. 8 The Glass Is Half-Empty and Half-Full: Comic Wisdom. Notes. Bibliography. Index.
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