Overview
Takes a completely original standpoint by positing humor as the key to the human condition
Offers a much-needed philosophical system that can be applied in everyday life
Presents new material from the leading scholar in the field
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Table of contents (7 chapters)
Keywords
About this book
This book presents an original worldview, Homo risibilis, wherein self-referential humor is proposed as the path leading from a tragic view of life to a liberating embrace of human ridicule. Humor is presented as a conceptual tool for holding together contradictions and managing the unresolvable conflict of the human condition till Homo risibilis resolves the inherent tension without epistemological cost. This original approach to the human condition allows us to effectively address life’s ambiguities without losing sight of its tragic overtones and brings along far-ranging personal and social benefits.
Amir’s view of the human condition transcends the field of philosophy of humor. An original worldview that fits the requirements of traditional philosophy, Homo risibilis is especially apt to answer contemporary concerns. It embodies the minimal consensus we need in order to live together and the active role philosophy should responsibly play in a global world. Here developed for the first time in a complete way, the Homo risibilis worldview is not only liberating in nature, but also illuminates the shortcomings of other philosophies in their attempts to secure harmony in a disharmonious world for a disharmonious human being.
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Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Lydia Amir is Visiting Professor at the Department of Philosophy, Tufts University, USA.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Philosophy, Humor, and the Human Condition
Book Subtitle: Taking Ridicule Seriously
Authors: Lydia Amir
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32671-5
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Religion and Philosophy, Philosophy and Religion (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2019
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-32670-8Published: 02 January 2020
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-32673-9Published: 26 August 2021
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-32671-5Published: 19 December 2019
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XVI, 305
Number of Illustrations: 1 b/w illustrations
Topics: Ethics, Aesthetics