Abstract
In this chapter, I uncritically review early theories of amusement in order to extract key claims for critical assessment in Chapters 4 and 5. In Section 1, I defend the essentialist approach to Question 1 from Chapter 1, in Section 2, I review early superiority theories, in Section 3, I review early incongruity theories, in Section 4, I review early release theories and, in Section 5, I review early play theories. Finally, in Section 6, I summarise the key claims of this chapter.
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Notes
- 1.
In this quote, Clark uses the word ‘humour’ as opposed to ‘amusement’, but it seems fair to understand him as using humour as a proxy for amusement since he does not distinguish between humour, amusement and funniness.
- 2.
Most early theories of amusement are given in terms of laughter as opposed to amusement. Often this is because early theorists assume that all laughter is caused by and expresses amusement. However, as outlined in Chapter 1, this assumption is mistaken. So, although I present theories in this chapter as their authors did, when it comes to extracting the key claims, I rephrase them in terms of amusement as opposed to laughter. The same goes for theories presented in terms humour or in terms of synonyms for humour such as ‘the comic’, ‘the ludicrous’ or ‘the ridiculous’.
- 3.
This review of early theories of amusement is roughly chronological with superiority theories being the oldest. However, even superiority theories are pre-dated by the oldest recorded joke from Ancient Sumer in 1900 BC: ‘Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband’s lap.’ Incidentally, the oldest recorded joke in English is from 1000 AD: ‘What hangs at a man’s thigh and wants to poke the hole that it’s often poked before? A key.’ There is something reassuring about the oldest joke in the world being a fart joke and oldest joke in English being a penis joke. It seems that some things never change.
- 4.
Moreover, Sheila Lintott (2016) argues that Plato, Aristotle and Hobbes do not even take an essentialist approach in their superiority theories, as is commonly attributed to them.
- 5.
Freud drew a distinction between wit and humour which was common at the time. Both were causes of laughter, but wit was associated with aggression while humour was associated with humility (Martin and Ford 2018, 10–11). This past distinction is largely captured in the modern distinction between ‘laughing at’ and ‘laughing with’.
- 6.
Early Release Theory is a claim shared by Shaftesbury, Spencer and Freud even though it is not phrased in their outdated terminology. Shaftesbury wrote of releasing constrained animal spirits, Spencer wrote of releasing pressurised nervous energy and Freud wrote of releasing excess psychic energy. But, in each case, their claim can be rephrased in modern terminology as releasing accumulated mental energy.
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Roberts, A. (2019). Early Theories of Amusement. In: A Philosophy of Humour. Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14382-4_3
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