A Philosophy of Humour

by Alan Roberts

Overview

Humour is a funny thing - everyone knows it but no-one knows what it is. This book addresses the question 'What is humour?' by first untangling the definitions of humour, amusement and funniness before then providing a new theory of humour which draws upon recent research in philosophy, psychology, linguistics and neuroscience. The theory is built up without assuming any prior knowledge and illustrated through humorous examples which are both entertaining and educational for anyone curious about what makes things funny. The book is then an accessible illumination of joking matters from dinner tables to online platforms to comedy clubs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030143817
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	04/13/2019
Edition description:	1st ed. 2019
Pages:	133
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Alan Roberts has taught philosophy at the University of Sussex and University College London in the UK. His research on humour has been published in academic books, philosophy journals and online magazines.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Amusement, Funniness and Humour
1. What is Amusement?
2. What is Funniness
3. What is Humour?
4. Chapter Summary
3. Early Theories of Amusement
1. The Essentialist Approach
2. Early Superiority Theories
3. Early Incongruity Theories
4. Early Incongruity Theories
5. Early Play Theories
6. Chapter Summary
4. The Cognitive Component of Amusement
1 Early Incongruity Theory
1.1. Incongruity Necessary
1.2. Incongruity Sufficiency
2. Unsuccessful Refinements
2.1. Expectation Violation
2.2. Norm Violation
2.3. Erroneous Conceptualisation
2.4. Error Detection
3 Bisociation Refinement
3.1. Bisociation Theories
3.2. Theoretical Synthesis
3.3. Critical Assessment
4. Resolution Refinement
4.1. Resolution Theories
4.2. Theoretical Synthesis
4.3. Critical Assessment
5. The Cognitive Component of Amusement
6. Chapter Summary
5. The Affective Component of Amusement
1. Superiority Theories
1.1. Early Superiority Theory
1.2. Modern Superiority Theory
1.3. Key Insight
2. Release Theories
2.1. Early Release Theory
2.2. Modern Release Theory
2.3. Key Insight
3. Play Theories
3.1. Early Play Theory
3.2. Modern Play Theory
3.3. Key Insight
4. The Affective Component of Amusement
5. Chapter Summary
6. A Theory of Amusement
1. Combining the Cognitive and Affective Components of Amusement
1.1. Cognitive Dissonance
1.2. Theory of Amusement
1.3. Critical Assessment
2. Increasing Amusement via Arousal
3. Chapter Summary.

Editorial Reviews

Roberts work is careful, rigorous, and while not revolutionary, provocative enough that its echoes will be heard throughout the young field of philosophy of humor. The argument he makes is robust. This ought to be heralded as a major new work in philosophy of humor. It advances the discourse, but thankfully to those of us in it, rather than concluding it, leaves it even more vital.” (Steve Gimbel, Philosophical Practice, Vol. 15 (1), 2020)

“Roberts’ rigorous distinction of the concepts and terms involved in the discussion on humour and his effort to provide precise descriptions of the components of amusement are reasons to welcome his book with praise. … The hope and wish are that by engaging further with his theory scholars will give Roberts more space to discuss his view.” (Michela Bariselli, The British Journal of Aesthetics, January 13, 2020)

From the Publisher