Philosophy
The Role of Laughter in the Good Life:
A Philosophical Perspective
Introduction
Laughter is important for both human emotional and mental health and it can play a helpful and healing role in parenting and family life. Laughing is one of the healthiest things one can do when confronted with the major stresses and emotional pains in life. The human capacity to laugh is significant and to understand our laughter is to go a long way toward understanding our humanity. Laughter has not always received the positive coloring it regularly enjoys in today's free societies. Laughter is a malicious response to the ignorance of others, and a principled individual must avoid such a hateful response to the faults of others(Grunberg, 2011). The Traditional Theories of Laughter
Three theories of laughter are common to the philosophy of laughter and humor. The superiority theory is unquestionably the oldest. All laughter is a response to the comical ignorance in others. The superiority theory makes a solid case by claiming that laughter is derision towards another's misfortune, and a good laugh commonly follows the painful obstacles that others may endure. An example of this type of laughter may be when one goes to a fair and visit the dunk tank where someone is repeatedly dropped into a tank of icy water. This may be funny because it is a relatively harmless situation of watching someone else ridiculed for being in a ridiculous predicament. Yet another example might be when someone forgets his lines during a play or other live performance. It is funny when someone slips up, and a hearty laugh at the embarrassing dilemma often seems natural (Gordon, 2010).
The New Theory
Morreall argues that each traditional theory contains an important aspect of laughter his new theory may explain. The superiority theory claims that a laugh arises when one is feeling awkwardly better than another. At that moment when one laughs, it is in response to this reassuring, although devious
A Philosophical Perspective
Introduction
Laughter is important for both human emotional and mental health and it can play a helpful and healing role in parenting and family life. Laughing is one of the healthiest things one can do when confronted with the major stresses and emotional pains in life. The human capacity to laugh is significant and to understand our laughter is to go a long way toward understanding our humanity. Laughter has not always received the positive coloring it regularly enjoys in today's free societies. Laughter is a malicious response to the ignorance of others, and a principled individual must avoid such a hateful response to the faults of others(Grunberg, 2011). The Traditional Theories of Laughter
Three theories of laughter are common to the philosophy of laughter and humor. The superiority theory is unquestionably the oldest. All laughter is a response to the comical ignorance in others. The superiority theory makes a solid case by claiming that laughter is derision towards another's misfortune, and a good laugh commonly follows the painful obstacles that others may endure. An example of this type of laughter may be when one goes to a fair and visit the dunk tank where someone is repeatedly dropped into a tank of icy water. This may be funny because it is a relatively harmless situation of watching someone else ridiculed for being in a ridiculous predicament. Yet another example might be when someone forgets his lines during a play or other live performance. It is funny when someone slips up, and a hearty laugh at the embarrassing dilemma often seems natural (Gordon, 2010).
The New Theory
Morreall argues that each traditional theory contains an important aspect of laughter his new theory may explain. The superiority theory claims that a laugh arises when one is feeling awkwardly better than another. At that moment when one laughs, it is in response to this reassuring, although devious