What's So Funny? or, Why Humor Should Matter to Philosophers

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What makes us laugh and why should this be important for philosophy? Relatively speaking, the comical is an area of aesthetics that philosophers have paid little attention to, yet laughter is something found in all cultures and appears to be uniquely human. So, I wonder, does humor have any philosophical significance? In other words, beyond the psychological appeal or social functions of humor, is there a way in which it is relevant to philosophy or serves a philosophical purpose? In this essay, I will argue that humor is useful for philosophers insofar it stimulates reflection or speculation. However, I believe that this depends upon a specific theory of humor as well as certain …