Abstract
This chapter extends the research of John Morreall and others who have examined the various connections between humor and aesthetics by focusing on the distinction between aesthetic and non-aesthetic humor. I begin my analysis by describing the nature and purpose of aesthetic experience while briefly distinguishing it from other human endeavors. In the next part, I critically examine Morreall’s distinction between aesthetic and non-aesthetic humor and argue that it does not adequately account for the differences between the two. Then I propose an alternative understanding of the distinction between aesthetic and non-aesthetic humor. Drawing on the example of four comedic performances, I assert that the difference between aesthetic and non-aesthetic humor needs to be assessed on the basis of the impact of the humor on the people who are viewing it rather than on the motivations and intentions of the performer. In the final part of this chapter, I offer some preliminary conclusions about the educational impact of aesthetic humor based on my experience with using this type of humor in a Philosophy of Humor and Laughter course.
An earlier version of this essay was published in International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Vol. 2 No. 1; January 2012.
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Notes
- 1.
The term ‘impact’ seems to take this social reality into account since to impact implies affecting others.
- 2.
Downloaded from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeSSwKffj9o&feature=player_embedded/ November 10, 2010.
- 3.
Downloaded from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z0nA7SbNDQ/ November 11, 2010.
- 4.
Downloaded from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3RYrQSir7k&feature=youtube_gdata_player/ November 15, 2010.
- 5.
Downloaded from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP_2o3220o4&feature=related/ November 15, 2010.
- 6.
The survey included six questions and was designed to provide me with both quantitative and qualitative data. The numerical scale ranged from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). After each question, the students were prompted to provide a detailed explanation (qualitative) of their rating on the quantitative scale. Below are the questions, I used in the survey: (1) I enjoyed the video clips that were shown in this course; (2) Analyzing the video clips helped me better understand the theories; (3) Watching the video clips helped me feel more relaxed in this class; (4) The video clips increased my interest in participating in class discussions; (5) Watching and analyzing the video clips enhanced my critical thinking skills; (6) Watching and analyzing the video clips helped me think more creatively.
- 7.
82 % of the respondents reported that “analyzing the video clips helped them better understand the theories that we studied” while 74 % noted that “watching and analyzing the video clips enhanced their critical thinking skills.”
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Gordon, M. (2014). The Educational Significance of Aesthetic Humor. In: Humor, Laughter and Human Flourishing. SpringerBriefs in Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-00834-9_6
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