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The Morality of Laughter
F. H. Buckley"Bravo! I'll say nothing funny about it, for it is a
superior piece of work."
—P. J. O'Rourke
"F. H. Buckley's The Morality of Laughter is at once
a humorous look at serious matters and a serious
book about humor."
—Crisis Magazine
"Buckley has written a . ne and funny book that will
be read with pleasure and instruction."
—First Things
". . . written elegantly and often wittily. . . ."
—National Post
". . . a fascinating philosophical exposition of
laughter. . . ."
—National Review
". . . at once a wise and highly amusing book."
—Wall Street Journal Online
". . . a useful reminder that a cheery society is a
healthy one."
—Weekly Standard
superior piece of work."
—P. J. O'Rourke
"F. H. Buckley's The Morality of Laughter is at once
a humorous look at serious matters and a serious
book about humor."
—Crisis Magazine
"Buckley has written a . ne and funny book that will
be read with pleasure and instruction."
—First Things
". . . written elegantly and often wittily. . . ."
—National Post
". . . a fascinating philosophical exposition of
laughter. . . ."
—National Review
". . . at once a wise and highly amusing book."
—Wall Street Journal Online
". . . a useful reminder that a cheery society is a
healthy one."
—Weekly Standard
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Cover
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Title
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Copyright
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Dedication
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Contents
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Preface
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PART I. THE POSITIVE THESIS
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1. Laughter as Superiority
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Hobbes and Bergson
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The Normative Foundation
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Laughter as a Signal
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2. The Elements of Laughter
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Sociability
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Surprise
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Playfulness
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3. The One Necessary Thing
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Incongruity and Wordplay
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Relief and Exuberant Laughter
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Innocent Laughter
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The Absurd and Postmodernism
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Self-Deprecatory Humor
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PART II. THE NORMATIVE THESIS
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4. Objections to the Normative Thesis
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The Paradox of Satire
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Excessive Laughter
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The Hobbesian Paradox
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Vicious Laughter
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5. Comic Virtues and Vices
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The Rose-Wreath Crown
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The Gay Science
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Comic Norms
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6. The Social Virtues
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Integrity
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Moderation
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Fortitude
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Temperance
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7. The Charismatic Virtues
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Grace
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Taste
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Learning
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8. Machine Law
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Risible Law
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Kreimer v. Morristown
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The Sick Chickens Case
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9. Machine Scholarship
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Analytical Philosophy
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Zombies as Machine Men
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Machine Political Theory
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Baby Selling
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10. Machine Art and Machine Cities
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Machine Art
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Machine Cities
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PART III. THE EXPERIENCE OF LAUGHTER
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11. The Battle of the Norms
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Judgment Errors
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Large Numbers
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Perverse Norms and Factual Errors
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Uncertainty
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12. Resistance to Laughter
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Vanity
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Acedia
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The Cynic
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The Faustian Bargain
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The Puritan
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13. The Sociability Thesis
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Signaling Trustworthiness
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A Communitarian Perspective
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14. Conclusion
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Life Considered as a Fine Art
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The Dream of a Unified Field
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Notes
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Bibliography
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Index
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Citable Link
Published: 2003
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
- 978-0-472-06818-0 (paper)
- 978-0-472-02272-4 (ebook)
- 978-0-472-09818-7 (hardcover)