Philosophical Questions: Humor
Jul. 27th, 2024 02:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithPeople have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.
Is a sense of humor a byproduct of consciousness or something else entirely?
Humor is primarily based in consciousness and intelligence, because of how it works. It is fundamentally about surprise, when you expect one thing but something else happens in a silly way, and it often relies on creating and then breaking a pattern. So in order to do that, you need a basic understanding of how the world usually works, so that you can detect changes in that, and then discern between those that are harmful vs. those that are just silly. This is further complicated by the widespread bad habit humans have of hiding a real attack under the false face of humor, then claiming the victim "has no sense of humor" to keep the attack hidden.
All of that requires a lot of knowledge and awareness, but it comes in layers. The concept of playfulness is ubiquitous among mammals, although the amount varies. Clever animals such as dogs and crows seem to have some sense of humor. Human toddlers begin with very simple things, like running around with their underwear over their head. As their vocabulary grows, they start to appreciate more linguistic humor like puns and other wordplay. And so on.
There is also a neurochemistry aspect, a flare of activity that underlies the "aha!" moment of "getting" a joke, which then sparks the reflex of laughter. You can even see this in a few other species. Dogs laugh by looking at the source of humor, dropping their jaw open, and lolling their tongue out. A cat's laugh is silent, mostly a smug look and arched whiskers. Crows and some other birds have a cawing kind of laugh.
Humor is a complicated topic, difficult -- but not quite impossible -- for science to get a grip on. It's interesting to explore the differences between what individuals, cultures, or species find amusing.
Is a sense of humor a byproduct of consciousness or something else entirely?
Humor is primarily based in consciousness and intelligence, because of how it works. It is fundamentally about surprise, when you expect one thing but something else happens in a silly way, and it often relies on creating and then breaking a pattern. So in order to do that, you need a basic understanding of how the world usually works, so that you can detect changes in that, and then discern between those that are harmful vs. those that are just silly. This is further complicated by the widespread bad habit humans have of hiding a real attack under the false face of humor, then claiming the victim "has no sense of humor" to keep the attack hidden.
All of that requires a lot of knowledge and awareness, but it comes in layers. The concept of playfulness is ubiquitous among mammals, although the amount varies. Clever animals such as dogs and crows seem to have some sense of humor. Human toddlers begin with very simple things, like running around with their underwear over their head. As their vocabulary grows, they start to appreciate more linguistic humor like puns and other wordplay. And so on.
There is also a neurochemistry aspect, a flare of activity that underlies the "aha!" moment of "getting" a joke, which then sparks the reflex of laughter. You can even see this in a few other species. Dogs laugh by looking at the source of humor, dropping their jaw open, and lolling their tongue out. A cat's laugh is silent, mostly a smug look and arched whiskers. Crows and some other birds have a cawing kind of laugh.
Humor is a complicated topic, difficult -- but not quite impossible -- for science to get a grip on. It's interesting to explore the differences between what individuals, cultures, or species find amusing.
(no subject)
Date: 2024-07-27 11:09 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2024-07-28 02:37 am (UTC)I even suspected one of my fish of pranking..humor is pretty wide spread.
Without language, puns are different, but Visual puns Can be done...