Kant's Humorous Writings
An Illustrated Guide
Published on 12. November 2020
Book
Hardback
280 pages
978-1-350-11278-0 (ISBN)
Description
While Kant is commonly regarded as one of the most austere philosophers of all time, this book provides quite a different perspective of the founder of transcendental philosophy. Kant is often thought of as being boring, methodical, and humorless. Yet the thirty jokes and anecdotes collected and illustrated here for the first time reveal a man and a thinker who was deeply interested in how humor and laughter shape how we think, feel, and communicate with fellow human beings.
In addition to a foreword on Kant's theory of humor by Noel Carroll as well as Clewis's informative chapters, Kant's Humorous Writings contains new translations of Kant's jokes, quips, and anecdotes. Each of the thirty excerpts is illustrated and supplemented by historical commentaries which explain their significance.
In addition to a foreword on Kant's theory of humor by Noel Carroll as well as Clewis's informative chapters, Kant's Humorous Writings contains new translations of Kant's jokes, quips, and anecdotes. Each of the thirty excerpts is illustrated and supplemented by historical commentaries which explain their significance.
Reviews / Votes
For many readers, 'Kant' and 'humor' are two words that do not belong together in the same sentence. But in his detailed and engaging study, Robert Clewis gives the lie to this popular prejudice. The sage of Koenigsberg was both a fairly serious theorist of humor as well as a teacher who often sought to enliven his lectures with a good joke or two. * Robert B. Louden, Distinguished Professor and Professor of Philosophy, University of Southern Maine, USA * Kant scholarship meets humor research-what a delightful surprise! Drawing on Kant's writings and notes taken by his students, Clewis evaluates thirty of Kant's jokes, stories, and observations to discuss his philosophy of humor. Along the way, he gets into what's wrong with bad puns and why the English are better at comedy than the French. His treatment of Kant's ethics of humor and his understanding of it as an aesthetic experience are especially insightful. I've been researching humor for forty years and found new ideas in every chapter. * John Morreall, author of "Taking Laughter Seriously" and "Comic Relief: A Comprehensive Philosophy of Humor" *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 145 mm
Width: 222 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
474 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-350-11278-0 (9781350112780)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
11/2020
1st Edition
Bloomsbury Academic
€22.99
Available for download
Persons
Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher and is widely recognised one of the most important thinkers in the history of philosophy.
Robert Clewis is author of The Kantian Sublime and the Revelation of Freedom (2009), a translator in Kant's Lectures on Anthropology (2012), and editor of Reading Kant's Lectures (2015). He is also the editor of The Sublime Reader (Bloomsbury, 2018). He teaches philosophy and is Director of the Honors Program at Gwynedd Mercy University, USA and is an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow.
Noel Carroll is distinguished Professor of Philosophy, CUNY graduate Center, USA. He is author of more than a hundred articles and books on philosophies of film, art and humour.
Robert Clewis is author of The Kantian Sublime and the Revelation of Freedom (2009), a translator in Kant's Lectures on Anthropology (2012), and editor of Reading Kant's Lectures (2015). He is also the editor of The Sublime Reader (Bloomsbury, 2018). He teaches philosophy and is Director of the Honors Program at Gwynedd Mercy University, USA and is an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow.
Noel Carroll is distinguished Professor of Philosophy, CUNY graduate Center, USA. He is author of more than a hundred articles and books on philosophies of film, art and humour.
Content
Foreword by Noel Carroll
Part One. Kant's Theory of Humor
Chapter 1: The Secret Soul of Kant's Joke
Chapter 2: Three Questions about Laughter at Humor
Chapter 3: Kant and the Ethics of Humor
Part Two. Jokes
Incongruity Jokes
1. The Merchant's Wig
2. Happy Funeral Mourners
3. Swift Wit
4. Dying of Good Health
5. GBP200
6. Of Juice and Justice
7. King Louis' Gate
8. Thinking with One's Body
9. The Happy Cuckold
10. Full of Bull
11. With Friends Like These
Ethnic and Sexist Jokes and Quips
12. Foam in a Bottle
13. German Fools
14. The Bearded Woman
15. Samuel Johnson's Wife
Jokes with a Point
16. Abelard's Flying Ox
17. Which Way the Wind Blows
18. Philosophy Detox
19. The Voltaire Bros
20. The Life You Save May Be Your Own
Part Three. Sayings with a Message
21. Ragout, with Wit on the Side
22. Hooped Skirts and Pruned Trees
23. Heidegger as a Woman
24. There Are No Ugly Noses
25. A Whale Barrel
26. To Each his Own
27. Pyrrho's Pig: That's What I'm Talking about
28. Hobson's Choice
29. Sex and Death
30. An Honest Man Is Hard to Find
Appendix: Chapter Summaries
Bibliography
Index
Part One. Kant's Theory of Humor
Chapter 1: The Secret Soul of Kant's Joke
Chapter 2: Three Questions about Laughter at Humor
Chapter 3: Kant and the Ethics of Humor
Part Two. Jokes
Incongruity Jokes
1. The Merchant's Wig
2. Happy Funeral Mourners
3. Swift Wit
4. Dying of Good Health
5. GBP200
6. Of Juice and Justice
7. King Louis' Gate
8. Thinking with One's Body
9. The Happy Cuckold
10. Full of Bull
11. With Friends Like These
Ethnic and Sexist Jokes and Quips
12. Foam in a Bottle
13. German Fools
14. The Bearded Woman
15. Samuel Johnson's Wife
Jokes with a Point
16. Abelard's Flying Ox
17. Which Way the Wind Blows
18. Philosophy Detox
19. The Voltaire Bros
20. The Life You Save May Be Your Own
Part Three. Sayings with a Message
21. Ragout, with Wit on the Side
22. Hooped Skirts and Pruned Trees
23. Heidegger as a Woman
24. There Are No Ugly Noses
25. A Whale Barrel
26. To Each his Own
27. Pyrrho's Pig: That's What I'm Talking about
28. Hobson's Choice
29. Sex and Death
30. An Honest Man Is Hard to Find
Appendix: Chapter Summaries
Bibliography
Index