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Can Humor exist in Objectivism?

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KevinDW78

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I just blogged on a related topic here. The title of the article is:

Just Kidding. Sort of...

Or:

Why One Shouldn't Joke About Serious Things

It may come up on the Metablog in a few days, but in the mean time, anyone interested in the topic of humor can check out that link. B)

Thanks,

--Dan Edge

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  • 4 months later...
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love humor and love to laugh but I don't feel this is in conflict with my objectivism. Especially since my form of humor is more to laugh at the "silly stuff" in the world around me, i.e. the altruistic nonsense I encounter on a daily basis. Is this petty of me or in any way something that should be "beneath" me? ...What say you?

I highly recommend "Three Questions" a life affirming objectivist cabaret act by Robin Field that has been recorded several times. He calls it his philosophical oratorio, and it covers in witty rhyme and verse the history of "philosophy", and answers elegantly those time worn questions: "What do we know, how do we know it, and what do we do?"

Warning: all recordings are not the same. I made a tape copy of an early version I had borrowed, with the intention to buy it later if I liked it, but when I did, the version I bought seemed like it was held at a convention of marxists, since the crowd didn't seem to get the jokes, and there wasn't the same energy or joy between the artist and the audience as there was at the original taping.

Here's a Rebirth of Reason article on the show and the creator, which includes clips:

http://rebirthofreason.com/Articles/Rawlin...of_Reason.shtml

Enjoy!

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Humor can be just as moral as didactic literature. Satire is one of the greatest tools of reform. It takes the ridiculous, the immoral, the inane, and the idiotic and derides it through irony and humor. Humor is a great tool to bring about reform because it causes prolonged thought and eventually leads to analysis of the topic if done correctly. Satire is rampant in Rand's novels where ideas antipodal to morality are conveyed but in such a way that is enlightening of their flaws. This is the proper role of humor, exposing fallacies and irrationality in such a way that they are encouraged to be changed.

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Ok, here's a couple:

I also find this pretty hilarious:

Could you clarify what you mean by existence-affirming? I've never heard that term before.

Those are great.

I find the first one the most interesting. Apparently the child is amused that things which 'are whole' can be taken apart. :P

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