Homo risibilis: The Ridiculous Human Being

Abstract

I introduce in this chapter the worldview I call Homo risibilis or the ridiculous human being . I argue that the very repetition that a humorous mood requires in order to reduce the tension defining the human condition is itself a higher form of the comical. I maintain that the   constant incongruity created by repeatedly opposing tragic and comical viewpoints can evolve into a new vision of oneself, the other and the world that eventually acquiesces in the conflict that defines our humanity. The encompassing vision attained cannot be described as tragic because it does not fit the narrow either/or tragic defining feature. Once the tragic characteristic of the human condition dissolves, its comical epiphenomenon disappears as well, and the humorous mood that sustains both visions is no longer needed. Homo risibilis, the worldview one reaches through such humorous pitting of opposites, is compatible with accepted accounts of creative thought, common explanations of the basic plot of comedy in which resolution is reached through the revelation of the hero’s identity, and the incongruity theory of humor that requires conflict-resolution. In this chapter, I explain how Homo risibilis evolves out of the humorous mood outlined in previous chapters. I distinguish between the new worldview I propose and Homo ridens, the view of the laughing human being, and I defend Homo risibilis’ originality by comparing it with intimations of various philosophic, religious and literary approaches to humor. I explain how Homo risibilis resolves the tension inherent in the human predicament and I indicate its place among philosophical theories.