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 ix
Robert Mankoff
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xiii
1 No Laughing Matter: The Traditional Rejection of Humor and Traditional Theories of Humor 1
Humor, Anarchy, and Aggression 2
The Superiority Theory: Humor as Anti-social 4
The Incongruity Theory: Humor as Irrational 9
The Relief Theory: Humor as a Pressure Valve 15
The Minority Opinion of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas: Humor as Playful Relaxation 23
The Relaxation Theory of Robert Latta 24
2 Fight or Flight - or Laughter: The Psychology of Humor 27
Humor and Disengagement 28
Humor as Play 33
Laughter as a Play Signal 36
3 From Lucy to "I Love Lucy": The Evolution of Humor 40
What Was First Funny? 41
The Basic Pattern in Humor: The Playful Enjoyment of a Cognitive Shift is Expressed in Laughter 49
The Worth of Mirth 64
4 That Mona Lisa Smile: The Aesthetics of Humor 69
Humor as Aesthetic Experience 70
Humor and Other Ways of Enjoying Cognitive Shifts: The Funny, Tragic, Grotesque, Macabre, Horrible, Bizarre, and Fantastic 73
Tragedy vs. Comedy: Is Heavy Better than Light? 75
Enough with the Jokes: Spontaneous vs. Prepared Humor 83
5 Laughing at the Wrong Time: The Negative Ethics of Humor 90
Eight Traditional Moral Objections 91
The Shortcomings in the Contemporary Ethics of Humor 98
A More Comprehensive Approach: The Ethics of Disengagement 101
First Harmful Effect: Irresponsibility 102
Second Harmful Effect: Blocking Compassion 103
Third Harmful Effect: Promoting Prejudice 105
6 Having a Good Laugh: The Positive Ethics of Humor 111
Intellectual Virtues Fostered by Humor 112
Moral Virtues Fostered by Humor 115
Humor during the Holocaust 119
7 Homo Sapiens and Homo Ridens: Philosophy and Comedy 125
Was Socrates the First Stand-up Comedian? 126
Humor and the Existentialists 129
The Laughing Buddha 133
8 The Glass is Half-Empty and Half-Full: Comic Wisdom 139
Notes 146
Bibliography 160
Index 179
