Abstract
This article traces the valuation of the ludic themes of laughter and play in the work of Jonathan Z. Smith, as debated by two of his interpreters. The question at stake is whether “religious” or “secular” thinking is more playful and open to humor. Sam Gill argues that a special form of play animates both certain forms of religion as well as an ideal form of secular theory. Tyler Roberts counters that Gill “domesticates” the ludic, and in doing so misconstrues the playfulness of religion. However, lurking behind the religious/secular dichotomy is a more fundamental question about the nature of the ludic, and what sort of power it possesses to transform human life. I show that the claim that theory is “secular” stabilizes certain ontological parameters about what human life could be. I turn finally to Nietzsche to interrogate an expression of ludic thought that pushes decisively beyond the human.
About the author
Harvard Divinity School, USA;
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Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Titlepages
- Table of Contents
- Articles
- Democritus, The Laughing Philosopher
- The Contemptuous Laughter of Democritus and Nietzsche
- A Joke: On the Plurality of Worlds and Ostrichist
- Joke Capital vs. Punching Up/Punching Down: Accounting for the Ethical Relation between Joker and Target
- Humanistic Ethics of Humor: The Problematics of Punching Up and Kicking Down
- “You Must Be Joking!”: Theory, Religion, and The Domestication of the Ludic
- Humor in Chinese Traditions of Thought, Part One: Systematic Reflections in View of Ancient Confucian and Daoist Applications of Humor
- Discussion: Short Article for Further Debate
- Discussion: Short Article for Further Debate Edited by John Marmysz
- The Shared Presupposition Norm of Joking: A Philosophical Exploration
- “I Finally Got the Joke”
- Do Joke-Telling Norms Apply to Laughtivism?
- “I’m Only Human”: A Self-Referential Sense of Humor and Meaningful Living
- Philosophical Satire and Criticism
- Philosophical Satire and Criticism Edited by Steven Gimbel
- Recaptioning Cartoons from Historical Turkish Humor Magazines as Feminist Media Activism: The Case of Boşboğaz
- Humor in Philosophy Education
- Humor in Philosophy Education Edited by Christine A. James
- How Can Philosophy Improve Your Sense of Humor?
- Symposium
- Symposium Edited by Steven Gimbel Dustin Peone. Making Philosophy Laugh: Humor, Irony, and Folly in Philosophical Thought. Cascade Books, 2023. pp. 158. Critics
- In Search of a Lost Philosophical Humor
- The Moment of Laughter
- On Making Philosophy Laugh
- “Where the enemy is mighty, one must be clever”: Peone, Vico, and Guareschi on Power in Humor
- Author’s Response
- Author’s Response
- Humor Resartus
- Book Reviews
- Book Reviews Edited by Lydia Amir With Pierre Destrée (Ancient and Medieval Philosophy) and John Marmysz (Modern and Contemporary Philosophy)
- Call for Papers, Book Reviews, Guidelines
- Call for Papers, Book Reviews, Guidelines
- Call for Papers
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Titlepages
- Table of Contents
- Articles
- Democritus, The Laughing Philosopher
- The Contemptuous Laughter of Democritus and Nietzsche
- A Joke: On the Plurality of Worlds and Ostrichist
- Joke Capital vs. Punching Up/Punching Down: Accounting for the Ethical Relation between Joker and Target
- Humanistic Ethics of Humor: The Problematics of Punching Up and Kicking Down
- “You Must Be Joking!”: Theory, Religion, and The Domestication of the Ludic
- Humor in Chinese Traditions of Thought, Part One: Systematic Reflections in View of Ancient Confucian and Daoist Applications of Humor
- Discussion: Short Article for Further Debate
- Discussion: Short Article for Further Debate Edited by John Marmysz
- The Shared Presupposition Norm of Joking: A Philosophical Exploration
- “I Finally Got the Joke”
- Do Joke-Telling Norms Apply to Laughtivism?
- “I’m Only Human”: A Self-Referential Sense of Humor and Meaningful Living
- Philosophical Satire and Criticism
- Philosophical Satire and Criticism Edited by Steven Gimbel
- Recaptioning Cartoons from Historical Turkish Humor Magazines as Feminist Media Activism: The Case of Boşboğaz
- Humor in Philosophy Education
- Humor in Philosophy Education Edited by Christine A. James
- How Can Philosophy Improve Your Sense of Humor?
- Symposium
- Symposium Edited by Steven Gimbel Dustin Peone. Making Philosophy Laugh: Humor, Irony, and Folly in Philosophical Thought. Cascade Books, 2023. pp. 158. Critics
- In Search of a Lost Philosophical Humor
- The Moment of Laughter
- On Making Philosophy Laugh
- “Where the enemy is mighty, one must be clever”: Peone, Vico, and Guareschi on Power in Humor
- Author’s Response
- Author’s Response
- Humor Resartus
- Book Reviews
- Book Reviews Edited by Lydia Amir With Pierre Destrée (Ancient and Medieval Philosophy) and John Marmysz (Modern and Contemporary Philosophy)
- Call for Papers, Book Reviews, Guidelines
- Call for Papers, Book Reviews, Guidelines
- Call for Papers