Comic relief : a comprehensive philosophy of humor / John Morreall; foreword by Robert Mankoff.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Morreall, John, 1947-

Series:

New directions in aesthetics.

New directions in aesthetics

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Wit and humor--Philosophy.

Wit and humor.

Wit and humor--History.

Physical Description:

203p.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Malden, MA : Wiley-Blackwell, 2009.

Summary:

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

Contents:

Foreword / Robert Mankoff

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

Fight or flight, or laughter : the psychology of humor

Humor and disengagement

Humor as play

Laughter as a play signal

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

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

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

Having a good laugh : the positive ethics of humor

Intellectual virtues fostered by humor

Moral virtues fostered by humor

Humor during the Holocaust

Homo sapiens and homo ridens : philosophy and comedy

Was Socrates the first stand-up comedian?

Humor and the existentialists

The laughing Buddha

The glass is half-empty and half-full : comic wisdom.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786612460975

9781444358292

1444358294

9781282460973

1282460978

9781444307795

1444307797

9781444307801

1444307800

OCLC:

476316736