The Philosophy of Humor
Steven Gimbel is professor of Philosophy at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania where he held the Johnson Chair for Distinguished Teaching in the Humanities and was awarded a Distinguished Teaching Award. He has published books on topics that range from Einstein’s theory of relativity to the philosophy of humor. An amateur stand-up comedian, he decided to keep his day job.
Overview
Humor is everywhere in our lives. We seem to be hardwired to be receptive to humor, even when we don’t always agree on what is funny. Humor is an essential part of being human. Great thinkers from around the world have examined humor for thousands of years and the philosophy of humor has been recognized as a legitimate subfield, complete with professional organizations, academic studies, and an extensive body of literature. Now, it seems, people are taking the subject of humor quite seriously.
I enjoyed both the historical/philosophical (AKA academic approach) to the explanation of humor. I also enjoyed learning how humor was a barely understood concept for a couple thousand years (and probably more). I would love to hear more specifically about Steven Gimbel’s four point theory of humor. Thank you for making this presentation part of 1DayU.