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“I’m Only Human”: A Self-Referential Sense of Humor and Meaningful Living

  • Drew Chastain

    Loyola University New Orleans, USA;

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Veröffentlicht/Copyright: 11. Juni 2024
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The Philosophy of Humor Yearbook
Aus der Zeitschrift The Philosophy of Humor Yearbook Band 5 Heft 1

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.

Keywords: self-referential humor; self-deprecatory humor; meaningful living; absurdity; perfectionism

About the author

Drew Chastain

Loyola University New Orleans, USA;

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Published Online: 2024-06-11
Published in Print: 2024-06-11

© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Artikel in diesem Heft

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Titlepages
  3. Table of Contents
  4. Articles
  5. Democritus, The Laughing Philosopher
  6. The Contemptuous Laughter of Democritus and Nietzsche
  7. A Joke: On the Plurality of Worlds and Ostrichist
  8. Joke Capital vs. Punching Up/Punching Down: Accounting for the Ethical Relation between Joker and Target
  9. Humanistic Ethics of Humor: The Problematics of Punching Up and Kicking Down
  10. “You Must Be Joking!”: Theory, Religion, and The Domestication of the Ludic
  11. Humor in Chinese Traditions of Thought, Part One: Systematic Reflections in View of Ancient Confucian and Daoist Applications of Humor
  12. Discussion: Short Article for Further Debate
  13. Discussion: Short Article for Further Debate   Edited by John Marmysz
  14. The Shared Presupposition Norm of Joking: A Philosophical Exploration
  15. “I Finally Got the Joke”
  16. Do Joke-Telling Norms Apply to Laughtivism?
  17. “I’m Only Human”: A Self-Referential Sense of Humor and Meaningful Living
  18. Philosophical Satire and Criticism
  19. Philosophical Satire and Criticism   Edited by Steven Gimbel
  20. Recaptioning Cartoons from Historical Turkish Humor Magazines as Feminist Media Activism: The Case of Boşboğaz
  21. Humor in Philosophy Education
  22. Humor in Philosophy Education   Edited by Christine A. James
  23. How Can Philosophy Improve Your Sense of Humor?
  24. Symposium
  25. Symposium   Edited by Steven Gimbel   Dustin Peone. Making Philosophy Laugh: Humor, Irony, and Folly in Philosophical Thought. Cascade Books, 2023. pp. 158.   Critics
  26. In Search of a Lost Philosophical Humor
  27. The Moment of Laughter
  28. On Making Philosophy Laugh
  29. “Where the enemy is mighty, one must be clever”: Peone, Vico, and Guareschi on Power in Humor
  30. Author’s Response
  31. Author’s Response
  32. Humor Resartus
  33. Book Reviews
  34. Book Reviews   Edited by Lydia Amir With Pierre Destrée (Ancient and Medieval Philosophy) and John Marmysz (Modern and Contemporary Philosophy)
  35. Call for Papers, Book Reviews, Guidelines
  36. Call for Papers, Book Reviews, Guidelines
  37. Call for Papers
https://doi.org/10.1515/phhumyb-2024-0011
Schlagwörter für diesen Artikel
self-referential humor; self-deprecatory humor; meaningful living; absurdity; perfectionism

Artikel in diesem Heft

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Titlepages
  3. Table of Contents
  4. Articles
  5. Democritus, The Laughing Philosopher
  6. The Contemptuous Laughter of Democritus and Nietzsche
  7. A Joke: On the Plurality of Worlds and Ostrichist
  8. Joke Capital vs. Punching Up/Punching Down: Accounting for the Ethical Relation between Joker and Target
  9. Humanistic Ethics of Humor: The Problematics of Punching Up and Kicking Down
  10. “You Must Be Joking!”: Theory, Religion, and The Domestication of the Ludic
  11. Humor in Chinese Traditions of Thought, Part One: Systematic Reflections in View of Ancient Confucian and Daoist Applications of Humor
  12. Discussion: Short Article for Further Debate
  13. Discussion: Short Article for Further Debate   Edited by John Marmysz
  14. The Shared Presupposition Norm of Joking: A Philosophical Exploration
  15. “I Finally Got the Joke”
  16. Do Joke-Telling Norms Apply to Laughtivism?
  17. “I’m Only Human”: A Self-Referential Sense of Humor and Meaningful Living
  18. Philosophical Satire and Criticism
  19. Philosophical Satire and Criticism   Edited by Steven Gimbel
  20. Recaptioning Cartoons from Historical Turkish Humor Magazines as Feminist Media Activism: The Case of Boşboğaz
  21. Humor in Philosophy Education
  22. Humor in Philosophy Education   Edited by Christine A. James
  23. How Can Philosophy Improve Your Sense of Humor?
  24. Symposium
  25. Symposium   Edited by Steven Gimbel   Dustin Peone. Making Philosophy Laugh: Humor, Irony, and Folly in Philosophical Thought. Cascade Books, 2023. pp. 158.   Critics
  26. In Search of a Lost Philosophical Humor
  27. The Moment of Laughter
  28. On Making Philosophy Laugh
  29. “Where the enemy is mighty, one must be clever”: Peone, Vico, and Guareschi on Power in Humor
  30. Author’s Response
  31. Author’s Response
  32. Humor Resartus
  33. Book Reviews
  34. Book Reviews   Edited by Lydia Amir With Pierre Destrée (Ancient and Medieval Philosophy) and John Marmysz (Modern and Contemporary Philosophy)
  35. Call for Papers, Book Reviews, Guidelines
  36. Call for Papers, Book Reviews, Guidelines
  37. Call for Papers
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