Comic Relief: A Comprehensive Philosophy of Humor (New Directions in Aesthetics, No. 9)

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 'comic Relief' Develops A Comprehensive Theory That Integrates Psychological, Aesthetic, And Ethical Issues Relating To Humour. 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. John Morreall ; Foreword By Robert Mankoff. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. 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 Traditional moral objections The contemporary ethics of humor A more comprehensive approach : the ethics of disengagement First harmful effect of disengagement : 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 Comedy and self-transcendence Humor during the holocaust Homo sapiens and homo ridens : philosophy and comedy Was Socrates the first standup comedian? Humor and the existentialists The laughing Buddha The glass is half-empty and half-full : comic wisdom. 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 humorReveals how standard theories of humor fail to explain its true nature and actually support traditional prejudices against humor as being antisocial, irrational, and foolishArgues that humor's benefits overlap significantly with those of philosophyIncludes a foreword by Robert Mankoff, Cartoon Editor of The New Yorker ..