Published by De Gruyter

Humour and Cruelty

Giorgio Baruchello and Ársæll Már Arnarsson

Volumes

Book 2022

Volume 1 A Philosophical Exploration of the Humanities and Social Sciences

Giorgio Baruchello, Ársæll Már Arnarsson

Volume 1 in the series De Gruyter Studies in Philosophy of Humor

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Humor has been praised by philosophers and poets as a balm to soothe the sorrows that outrageous fortune’s slings and arrows cause inevitably, if not incessantly, to each and every one of us. In mundane life, having a sense of humor is seen not only as a positive trait of character, but as a social prerequisite, without which a person’s career and mating prospects are severely diminished, if not annihilated. However, humor is much more than this, and so much else. In particular, humor can accompany cruelty, inform it, sustain it, and exemplify it. Therefore, in this book, we provide a comprehensive, reasoned exploration of the vast literature on the concepts of humor and cruelty, as these have been tackled in Western philosophy, humanities, and social sciences, especially psychology. Also, the apparent cacophony of extant interpretations of these two concepts is explained as the inevitable and even useful result of the polysemy inherent to all common-sense concepts, in line with the understanding of concepts developed by M. Polanyi in the 20^th century. Thus, a thorough, nuanced grasp of their complex mutual relationship is established, and many platitudes affecting today's received views, and scholarship, are cast aside.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110759839
ISBN:: 9783110759839
ISBN:: 9783110760019
ISBN:: 9783110759761
Subject:: Philosophy
Subject:: History of Philosophy
Subject:: Modern Philosophy
Subject:: 20th and 21st Century Philosophy
Subject:: Philosophy of Culture
Subject:: Social Sciences
Subject:: Sociology
Subject:: Culture
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2023

Volume 2 Dangerous Liaisons

Giorgio Baruchello, Ársæll Már Arnarsson

Volume 2 in the series De Gruyter Studies in Philosophy of Humor

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Humor and cruelty can be the best of friends. Many cruel domains have facilitated hilarity of all kinds, whether experienced directly or vicariously, stretching from the torture chamber to the living room—or wherever else a screen is to be found. Conversely, many jests have provided the vehicle with which to dispense cruelty, whether callously or gleefully, in myriad settings, from public events to intimate family dinners. Combining the sources and resources of the humanities and social sciences, this book investigates the mutually supportive liaisons of humor and cruelty. We unearth the brutal, aggressive, and/or sadomasochistic roots of mockery and self-mockery, sarcasm and satire, whilst addressing contemporary debates in humor studies focusing on the thorny ethics and existential challenges arising from the acceptance of the much-appreciated yet seldom innocent channel for human interaction called "humor."

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110759846
ISBN:: 9783110759846
ISBN:: 9783110760002
ISBN:: 9783110759778
Subject:: Philosophy
Subject:: History of Philosophy
Subject:: Modern Philosophy
Subject:: 20th and 21st Century Philosophy
Subject:: Political Philosophy and Social Philosophy
Subject:: Philosophy of Culture
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2023

Volume 3 Laughing Matters

Prolegomena

Giorgio Baruchello, Ársæll Már Arnarsson

Volume 3/1 in the series De Gruyter Studies in Philosophy of Humor

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The present book addresses the background, rationale, general structure, and particular aims and arguments characterizing our third and last volume about "humor" and "cruelty". A guiding foray is provided into the vast expert literature that can be retrieved in the Western humanities and social sciences on these two terms. Pivotal thinkers and crucial notions are duly identified, highlighted, and examined. Apposite subsidiary references are also included, especially with regard to psychodynamics and clinical psychology, existentialism, feminism, liberalism, Marxism, and representative recent studies in the philosophy of humor and its cognates. The stage is thus set for the exploration and assessment of the conflicts between humor and cruelty unfolding in Part 2 of Volume 3. Being the philosophical terminus of our entire research project, Volume 3 counterbalances, complements, and, occasionally, complexifies the numerous forms of mutual cooperation between humor and cruelty that the preceding Volume 2 had unearthed and discussed.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110760170
ISBN:: 9783110760170
ISBN:: 9783110760095
ISBN:: 9783110760224
Subject:: History
Subject:: Topics in History
Subject:: Cultural History
Subject:: Philosophy
Subject:: History of Philosophy
Subject:: Modern Philosophy
Subject:: 20th and 21st Century Philosophy
Subject:: Philosophy of Culture
Subject:: Social Sciences
Subject:: Sociology
Subject:: Culture
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2023

Volume 3 Laughing Matters

Theses and Discussions

Giorgio Baruchello, Ársæll Már Arnarsson

Volume 3/2 in the series De Gruyter Studies in Philosophy of Humor

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Part 2 of Volume 3 addresses in detail the conflicts between humor and cruelty, i.e., how cruelty can be unleashed against humor and, conversely, humor can be utilized against cruelty. Potent enmities to mirth and jollity are retrieved from a variety of socio-historical contexts, ranging from Europe’s medieval monasteries to the 2015 Charlie Hebdo massacre. Special attention is paid to the cruel humor and humorous cruelty arising thereof, insofar as such phenomena can reveal critical aspects of today’s neoliberal socio-economic order. In parallel, settings where humor has been used as an instrument to cope with suffered cruelty, whether natural or human in origin, are also retrieved and discussed. These also vary greatly and encompass domains such as hospital wards, 20^th-century Jewish ghettoes, and contemporary funeral homes. A set of concluding reflections is then offered on the psychological, theological, ethical, and metaphysical roots of humor—and its cruel rejection.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111256108
ISBN:: 9783111256108
ISBN:: 9783111256573
ISBN:: 9783111254555
Subject:: History
Subject:: Topics in History
Subject:: Cultural History
Subject:: Philosophy
Subject:: History of Philosophy
Subject:: Modern Philosophy
Subject:: 20th and 21st Century Philosophy
Subject:: Philosophy of Culture
Subject:: Social Sciences
Subject:: Sociology
Subject:: Culture
Publisher:: De Gruyter