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  • © 2017

Why Can't Philosophers Laugh?

Palgrave Macmillan

Authors:

  • Methodological study of humor and its philosophical value

  • Melds Chinese and Western philosophy in pursuit of an understanding of laughter

  • Argues that the comic is not antithetical to philosophy, but invites a different kind of thinking that is playful and exploratory

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Table of contents (8 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-viii
  2. Introduction

    • Katrin Froese
    Pages 1-23
  3. European Perspectives

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 25-25
    2. Redeeming Laughter in Nietzsche

      • Katrin Froese
      Pages 73-96
    3. Humour and Finitude in Kierkegaard

      • Katrin Froese
      Pages 97-124
  4. Chinese Perspectives

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 125-125
    2. A Comic Confucius?

      • Katrin Froese
      Pages 127-148
    3. Laughing for Nothing in Chan Buddhism

      • Katrin Froese
      Pages 173-213
  5. Back Matter

    Pages 223-227

About this book

This book analyzes Western and Chinese philosophical texts to determine why laughter and the comic have not been a major part of philosophical discourse. Katrin Froese maintains that many philosophical accounts of laughter try to unearth laughter's purpose, thereby rendering it secondary to the intentional and purposive aspects of human nature that impel us to philosophize. Froese also considers texts that take laughter and the comic as starting points, attempting to philosophize out of laughter rather than merely trying to unearth reasons for laughter. The book proposes that continuously unraveling philosophical assumptions through the comic and laughter may be necessary to live well.


Authors and Affiliations

  • University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada

    Katrin Froese

About the author

Katrin Froese is Professor of Philosophy and Religion at the University of Calgary, Canada. She is the author of three previous books: Rousseau and Nietzsche: Toward an Aesthetic Morality (2001), Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Daoist Thought: Crossing Paths In-Between (2006), and Ethics Unbound: Some Chinese and Western Perspectives on Morality (2013). 

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Why Can't Philosophers Laugh?

  • Authors: Katrin Froese

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55044-2

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: Religion and Philosophy, Philosophy and Religion (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-55043-5Published: 29 June 2017

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-85552-3Published: 02 August 2018

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-55044-2Published: 15 June 2017

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: VIII, 227

  • Topics: Philosophy of Man, Asian Literature, Asian Culture, History of China

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 79.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access