“I’m Only Human”: A Self-Referential Sense of Humor and Meaningful Living
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Drew Chastain
Loyola University New Orleans, USA;
Abstract
I argue that a self-referential sense of humor is positively self-accepting by acknowledging imperfection, abnormality, or average status, without genuinely intending ridicule on oneself. Instead, standards of perfection, normality, and greatness are the implicit targets of ridicule, which can provide a form of bonding among those having this sense of humor, who can then find commonality amongst themselves and relief from the pressure of those exacting standards. This self-accepting sense of humor helps to make life more meaningful by facilitating contentment with imperfection both with respect to oneself and one’s situation. While a sense of humor can certainly be helpful for improving character, a perfectionist argument such as this should be balanced by acknowledgement of the value that can be gained from simply accepting ourselves just as we are.
About the author
Loyola University New Orleans, USA;
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© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
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
