Philosophy Humour

Written by an acknowledged master of comedy, this study reflects on the nature of humor and the functions it serves. Why do we laugh? What are we to make of the sheer variety of laughter, from braying and cackling to sniggering and chortling? Is humor subversive, or can it defuse dissent? Can we define wit?

Guns, germs, and steel might have transformed us from hunter-gatherers into modern man, but booze, sex, trash talk, and tripping built our civilization. Cracked editor Robert Evans brings his signature dogged research and lively insight to uncover the many and magnificent ways vice has influenced history, from the prostitute-turned-empress who scored a major victory for women's rights to the beer that helped create - and destroy - South America's first empire.

Our narrator produces a sound from the piano no one else at the Conservatory can. She employs a technique she learned from her parents—also talented musicians—who fled China in the wake of the Cultural Revolution. But when an accident leaves her parents debilitated, she abandons her future for a job at a high-end beauty and wellness store in New York City.

That Donald Trump is an asshole is a fact widely agreed upon - even by his supporters, who actually like that about him. But his startling political rise makes the question of just what sort of asshole he is, and how his assholedom may help to explain his success, one not just of philosophical interest but of almost existential urgency. Enter the philosopher Aaron James, author of the foundational text in the burgeoning field of Asshole Studies: the best-selling Assholes: A Theory.

An entertaining and insightful examination of the Emmy-award winning American satirical news show, broadcast on Comedy Central in the US, and (in an edited edition) on More4 in the UK and CNN International around the world.

The new book by the best-selling authors of Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar is a hilarious take on the philosophy, theology, and psychology of mortality and immortality. That is, Death. The authors pry open the coffin lid on this one, looking at the Big D and also its prequel, Life, and its sequel, the Hereafter.

Learning how easy improv is can be the hard part. There are important lessons in life that can lead to better improv scenes. And there are important lessons in improv that can lead to a better life. By putting improv techniques under an electron microscope of reason, The Tao of Improv: A Philosophy of Creating a Scene can improve the way we function, understand, and interact - on stage and off. Excerpts from the Tao Te Ching are woven into an overall philosophy of scenic improv acting.

Dangerous Jokes develops a novel, well-researched, and compelling argument that lays bare the power of demeaning jokes in ordinary conversations. Claire Horisk draws on her expertise in philosophy of language and on evidence from sociology, law, and cognitive science to explain how the element of humor—so often used as a defense—makes jokes more potent than regular speech in communicating prejudice and reinforcing social hierarchies.

Can jokes win a hostile room, a hopeless argument, or even an election? You bet they can, according to Cicero, and he knew what he was talking about. One of Rome's greatest politicians, speakers, and lawyers, Cicero was also reputedly one of antiquity's funniest people. After he was elected commander-in-chief and head of state, his enemies even started calling him "the stand-up Consul". How to Tell a Joke provides a lively new translation of Cicero's essential writing on humor alongside that of the later Roman orator and educator Quintilian.

Multiple award-winning speaker Ramakrishna Reddy presents the secrets, tools, and devices that helped him create 18 laughs and three applauses in a seven-minute persuasive speech in his fifth book Connect with Humor and Story. This is not theory. It's absolute content based on his research, his experience, and his testing.

In a world that often demands conformity, rebellion is not merely a choice but a necessity. This book is an exploration of the power of disobedience, examining the artists, thinkers, and activists who dared to challenge the status quo. From the literary giants who defied conventions to the social reformers who shattered societal norms, The Secret Art of Disobedience delves into the minds of those who dared to question, to challenge, and to create. It is a celebration of the maverick spirit, an invitation to think critically, and a call to action for those seeking to make a difference.

Dicen que, al mal tiempo, buena cara. He aquí un compendio de anécdotas ingeniosas e incluso divertidas en tiempos del tifus y la fiebre tifoidea.

This audiobook focuses on two of Samuel Butler's more intriguing writings concerning machine evolution and intelligence, including his most famous piece, "Darwin Among the Machines", and his chapter on Erewhon in "The Book of the Machines". Professor David Christopher Lane has written a brief introduction. Also included is a small biography of Samuel Butler.

La inteligencia y la astucia nunca son aburridas. Hemos seleccionado para ustedes 500 citas de los autores más ingeniosos de la historia, desde Oscar Wilde a Groucho Marx, George Bernard Shaw, Albert Einstein con la ayuda de Woody Allen. Disfrute de estas perlas de humor para alegrar su día con una buena carcajada, descubra comentarios y chistes de valor incalculable con los que sorprender a sus amigos y enemigos, y déle la mano a las mentes más brillantes

Special Illumination is a term used by the great poet and mystic, Jalaluddin Rumi, to stress the importance of humor in metaphysical experience. Of it, Idries Shah says, "Rumi directly contradicts such numerous sour-faced religionists as, in all persuasions, find that humor disturbs the indoctrination which is all that they usually have to offer."

This book is about nothing. In mathematics there's only one way for nothing to exist, but there are an infinite number of ways for there to be something. So "something" is therefore more stable than "nothing". Which means that the more cluttered the universe is, the more stable it becomes. Does this mean that clutter is good? Brian Luff sets out to prove that it does.

Intelligens och skicklighet är aldrig tråkigt. Vi har valt 500 citat från de skickligaste författarna någonsin, från Oscar Wilde till Groucho Marx, George Bernard Shaw, Albert Einstein med hjälp av Woody Allen. Njut av dessa humorpärlor för att lysa upp din dag med ett gott skratt, upptäck ovärderliga kommentarer och skämt att överraska dina vänner och fiender med och skaka hand med de största sinnen. Dessa 500 citat är bland de roligaste och djupaste, från smarta kommentarer till otroligt eleganta ordlekar; låt dem inspirera dig, och kan du komma med många fler.

A inteligência e a esperteza nunca são aborrecidas. Seleccionámos para si 500 citações dos autores mais espirituosos de sempre, de Oscar Wilde a Groucho Marx, George Bernard Shaw, Albert Einstein com a ajuda de Woody Allen. Desfrute destas pérolas de humor para alegrar o seu dia com uma boa gargalhada, descubra comentários e piadas inestimáveis para surpreender os seus amigos e inimigos, e aperte as mãos com as maiores mentes.

If, in this Age of Misinformation, you find yourself exhausted by the divisiveness, sickened by the dissent, poisoned by the discord, you are not alone. Of, by, and for the Hanged Man is a memoir equal parts hilarity and vulnerability, but just as important, it is a declaration for navigating our post-truth world. Author A.M. Pfeffer has chronicled this journey into an uproarious and riveting blueprint specific to discovering a "Hanged Man" inside each of us.

Why are they targeting the disadvantaged? Why are the rich not taxed fairly? Why does everyone feel so powerless to make change for the better? Why is the anger of so many not being addressed? Why do the rich keep getting richer, while the poor are kept poor? Why is austerity becoming worse while the government laugh their heads off and give themselves huge pay raises and take so much? Why are they not paying for the austerity measures that they instigated and perpetuate?