Overview
Methodological study of humor and its philosophical value
Melds Chinese and Western philosophy in pursuit of an understanding of laughter
Argues that the comic is not antithetical to philosophy, but invites a different kind of thinking that is playful and exploratory
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Table of contents (8 chapters)
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Front Matter
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European Perspectives
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Keywords
About this book
This book analyzes Western and Chinese philosophical texts to determine why laughter and the comic have not been a major part of philosophical discourse. Katrin Froese maintains that many philosophical accounts of laughter try to unearth laughter's purpose, thereby rendering it secondary to the intentional and purposive aspects of human nature that impel us to philosophize. Froese also considers texts that take laughter and the comic as starting points, attempting to philosophize out of laughter rather than merely trying to unearth reasons for laughter. The book proposes that continuously unraveling philosophical assumptions through the comic and laughter may be necessary to live well.
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Katrin Froese is Professor of Philosophy and Religion at the University of Calgary, Canada. She is the author of three previous books: Rousseau and Nietzsche: Toward an Aesthetic Morality (2001), Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Daoist Thought: Crossing Paths In-Between (2006), and Ethics Unbound: Some Chinese and Western Perspectives on Morality (2013).
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Why Can't Philosophers Laugh?
Authors: Katrin Froese
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55044-2
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Religion and Philosophy, Philosophy and Religion (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-55043-5Published: 29 June 2017
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-85552-3Published: 02 August 2018
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-55044-2Published: 15 June 2017
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: VIII, 227
Topics: Philosophy of Man, Asian Literature, Asian Culture, History of China