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  2. The Morality of Laughter

The Morality of Laughter

F. H. Buckley 2003
Restricted You do not have access to this book. How to get access.
"Bravo! I'll say nothing funny about it, for it is a

superior piece of work."

—P. J. O'Rourke

"F. H. Buckley's The Morality of Laughter is at once

a humorous look at serious matters and a serious

book about humor."

—Crisis Magazine

"Buckley has written a . ne and funny book that will

be read with pleasure and instruction."

—First Things

". . . written elegantly and often wittily. . . ."

—National Post

". . . a fascinating philosophical exposition of

laughter. . . ."

—National Review

". . . at once a wise and highly amusing book."

—Wall Street Journal Online

". . . a useful reminder that a cheery society is a

healthy one."

—Weekly Standard

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ISBN(s)
  • 978-0-472-09818-7 (hardcover)
  • 978-0-472-06818-0 (paper)
  • 978-0-472-02272-4 (ebook)
Subject
  • Literary Studies:Literary Criticism and Theory
  • Law
  • Philosophy
Citable Link
  • Table of Contents

  • Stats

  • Cover
  • Title
  • Copyright
  • Dedication
  • Contents
  • Preface
  • PART I. THE POSITIVE THESIS
    • 1. Laughter as Superiority
      • Hobbes and Bergson
      • The Normative Foundation
      • Laughter as a Signal
    • 2. The Elements of Laughter
      • Sociability
      • Surprise
      • Playfulness
    • 3. The One Necessary Thing
      • Incongruity and Wordplay
      • Relief and Exuberant Laughter
      • Innocent Laughter
      • The Absurd and Postmodernism
      • Self-Deprecatory Humor
  • PART II. THE NORMATIVE THESIS
    • 4. Objections to the Normative Thesis
      • The Paradox of Satire
      • Excessive Laughter
      • The Hobbesian Paradox
      • Vicious Laughter
    • 5. Comic Virtues and Vices
      • The Rose-Wreath Crown
      • The Gay Science
      • Comic Norms
    • 6. The Social Virtues
      • Integrity
      • Moderation
      • Fortitude
      • Temperance
    • 7. The Charismatic Virtues
      • Grace
      • Taste
      • Learning
    • 8. Machine Law
      • Risible Law
      • Kreimer v. Morristown
      • The Sick Chickens Case
    • 9. Machine Scholarship
      • Analytical Philosophy
      • Zombies as Machine Men
      • Machine Political Theory
      • Baby Selling
    • 10. Machine Art and Machine Cities
      • Machine Art
      • Machine Cities
  • PART III. THE EXPERIENCE OF LAUGHTER
    • 11. The Battle of the Norms
      • Judgment Errors
      • Large Numbers
      • Perverse Norms and Factual Errors
      • Uncertainty
    • 12. Resistance to Laughter
      • Vanity
      • Acedia
      • The Cynic
      • The Faustian Bargain
      • The Puritan
    • 13. The Sociability Thesis
      • Signaling Trustworthiness
      • A Communitarian Perspective
    • 14. Conclusion
      • Life Considered as a Fine Art
      • The Dream of a Unified Field
  • Notes
  • Bibliography
  • Index
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