Philosophy takes all things, even silly things, seriously. Perhaps for this reason, philosophers have tended to shy away from the lighter side of life. Philosophers, from Aristotle to Kant, write in disparaging terms about laughter, as unnecessary or simply cruel.
This antipathy towards humour belies the fact that philosophers and comedians often make use of the same ‘tools’, eg rhetoric, hyperbole, simile, analogy and metaphor – and who can forget Monty Python’s famous ‘Argument Sketch’? Or perhaps it is because humour adopts many of the same tools that philosophers have tended to marginalise it.
In the last 150 years or so philosophers have started to take humour seriously. In doing so, philosophical theories of humour have evolved to better account for what humour is; and to explain why some things are funny and some things are not.
But humour is not simply about what makes us laugh. There is an absurd quality to humour that involves, in William James’ words, seeing ‘the familiar as if it were strange, and the strange as if it were familiar’. That is to say humour often surprises us with what we know all too well. This too is the aim of many philosophers, ie to shed light on those aspects of human nature that so are familiar to us that we don’t even notice them. Alex will suggest, therefore, that philosophers can learn a great deal from comedians (and vice versa). Certainly, amidst our historical and philosophical examination of humour, it is my intention to share many jokes (some better than others). Not simply to make us laugh, but also to make us think.
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes for this course are:
- To assess methodologies for investigating humour in a philosophical way;
- To develop philosophical skills in argumentation and analysis;
- To gain a deeper understanding of humour, a fundamental human trait.
Classes
1. Philosophy and humour: A double act?
2. Bergson versus Russell: The role of the intellect in humour
3. Four theories of humour: Why do we laugh?
4. Philosophers are from Mars, and so are comedians: The strange and the familiar
5. The Absurd: Samuel Beckett and the ‘risus purus’
Required reading
Bergson, Henri. Laughter, an Essay on the Meaning of the Comic. Macmillan, 1900 Available Online: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/4352/4352-h/4352-h.htm
Carroll, Lewis. What the Tortoise Said to Achilles. Mind 4, No. 14 (1895), pp 278-280. Available Online: http://www.ditext.com/carroll/tortoise.html
Russell, Bertrand. "The Professor’s Guide to Laughter". The Cambridge Review 33 (1912), pp 193-4 Available Online: http://users.drew.edu/jlenz/br-on-bergson1.html
Typical week: Monday to Friday
For each week of study you select a morning (Am) and an afternoon (Pm) course, each course has five sessions, one each day Monday to Friday. The maximum class size is 25 students. Your weekly courses are complemented by a series of two daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to the learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events.
c.8.00am-9.00am |
Breakfast in College (for residents) |
9.00am-10.30am |
Am Course |
11.15am-12.30pm |
Plenary Lecture |
12.30pm-1.45pm |
Lunch |
1.45pm-3.15pm |
Pm Course |
4.00pm-5.15pm |
Plenary Lecture |
c.6.00/6.15pm-7.15/7.30pm |
Dinner in College (for residents) |
c.7.30pm onwards |
Evening talk/event |
Evaluation and Academic Credit
If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses.
Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £65 per essay.
For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit.
Certificate of attendance
A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically within a week of your courses finishing.