Foreword / Robert Mankoff
No laughing matter : the traditional rejection of humor and traditional theories of humor
Humor, anarchy, and aggression
The superiority theory : humor as anti-social
The incongruity theory : humor as irrational
The relief theory : humor as a pressure valve
The minority opinion of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas : humor as playful relaxation
The relaxation theory of Robert Latta
Fight or flight, or laughter : the psychology of humor
Humor and disengagement
Humor as play
Laughter as a play signal
From Lucy to "I love Lucy" : the evolution of humor
What was first funny?
The basic pattern in humor : the playful enjoyment of a cognitive shift is expressed in laughter
The worth of mirth
That Mona Lisa smile : the aesthetics of humor
Humor as aesthetic experience
Humor and other ways of enjoying cognitive shifts : the funny, tragic, grotesque, macabre, horrible, bizarre, and fantastic
Tragedy vs. comedy : is heavy better than light?
Enough with the jokes : spontaneous vs. prepared humor
Laughing at the wrong time : the negative ethics of humor
Eight traditional moral objections
The shortcomings in the contemporary ethics of humor
A more comprehensive approach : the ethics of disengagement
First harmful effect : irresponsibility
Second harmful effect : blocking compassion
Third harmful effect : promoting prejudice
Having a good laugh : the positive ethics of humor
Intellectual virtues fostered by humor
Moral virtues fostered by humor
Humor during the Holocaust
Homo sapiens and homo ridens : philosophy and comedy
Was Socrates the first stand-up comedian?
Humor and the existentialists
The laughing Buddha
The glass is half-empty and half-full : comic wisdom.
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Comic relief : a comprehensive philosophy of humor by John Morreall. ISBN 9781405196123. Published by Wiley-Blackwell in 2009. Publication and catalogue information, links to buy online and reader comments.
