The Sardonic Philosophy of Emil Cioran: Enter Crying, Exit Grinning
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Paul Newton
Abstract
Emil M. Cioran’s comic and ludic sagacity provides him with a unique title in the modern age—The Sardonic Philosopher. Here I suggest that perhaps his greatest work, The Trouble with Being Born, is not merely another of Cioran’s attempts at wrangling with the personal and profound pessimism that he expresses in many of his early works such as On the Heights of Despair and A Short History of Decay, which are lyrical but harsh, insightful but nihilistic. Rather, The Trouble with Being Born is found upon close examination to be something a bit different: a more nuanced prose poem of bitter realization, scornful humor and ludic wisdom. In this work, Cioran quickly indicts birth and appears to be traversing familiar ground—seething and stewing in the absurdity and pain of existence. But he finds a way out of those depths first by a profound scorn and scoff of existence and then to personal affirmation and finally to a smile or grin, if not an audible chuckle. This article explores the ludic wisdom and deep gaiety in Cioran's ideas and suggests that there is reason to see Cioran as closing ranks with the other “Laughing Philosophers”—Democritus, Epicurus, Montaigne, and Santayana—or, if not completely able to join that select group, he may at least be understood as one who entered existence crying, but exits with a grin on his face.
References
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© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Titlepages
- Table of Contents
- Articles
- Playful Transgression Theory of Humor and Laughter
- The Joke-Coop: Pragmatic Issues of Jokes and Joking
- Crying and Laughing Together: Georges Bataille, Friendship, and Deep Emotions
- Humor in Chinese Traditions of Thought, Part Two: Chan Buddhism, Han Confucianism, Legalism, the School of Names, and the Annals of Lü Buwei
- The Concept of Humorous Irony: Jorge Portilla, Carlos Alberto Sánchez, Richard Rorty, Jonathan Lear, and Socrates, with Minimal Reference to Kierkegaard
- In Memoriam: Daniel C. Dennett
- In Memoriam: Daniel C. Dennett Edited by Lydia Amir
- “Much Too Hard!”: Daniel C. Dennett on Humor
- Daniel C. Dennett: An Intellectual in a World of Technicians
- Daniel C. Dennett: A Wellspring of Inspiration
- Discussion: Article for Further Debate
- Discussion: Article for Further Debate Edited by John Marmysz
- Self-Referential Humor as Feminist Protest
- Too Much Burden on Humor?
- The Challenge of Self-Acceptance: Embracing Imperfection in a Perfectionist World
- “… And You Can Use a Little Improvement”
- The Sardonic Philosophy of Emil Cioran: Enter Crying, Exit Grinning
- Philosophic Satire and Comedy Study
- Philosophic Satire and Comedy Study Edited by Steven Gimbel
- Nicki Minaj and the Double Entendre: When Explaining a Joke Doesn’t Kill It
- Tractatus Ludico-Philosophicus (expurgated version)
- Humor in Philosophy Education
- Humor in Philosophy Education Edited by Christine A. James
- Professorial Academic Identity Defined through Humor
- Symposium
- Symposium Edited by Lydia Amir Giorgio Baruchello and Arsæll Már Arnarsson, Humour and Cruelty, Vols. 1 – 3 (parts 1 and 2) Berlin: de Gruyter, 2022 – 2024. De Gruyter Series in Philosophy of Humor, edited by Lydia Amir Critics
- The Humorously Cruel Experience of Reading Humour and Cruelty
- Do Humor and Cruelty Go Together?
- An Insightful Tour de Force in Comprehensive Metaphysics of Humor
- Cruel Humor and Funny Cruelty
- Author’s Response
- Author’s Response
- Humoring Our Critics’ Ostensibly Good-Humored Cruelties and Ársæll Már Arnarsson
- Book Reviews
- Book Reviews Edited by Lydia Amir With Pierre Destrée (Ancient and Medieval Philosophy) and John Marmysz (Modern and Contemporary Philosophy)
- The Philosophical Stage: Drama and Dialectic in Classical Athens. Joshua Billings. Princeton University Press, 2021. pp. X + 269
- Philosophy of Humour: New Perspectives, edited by Viktoras Bachmetjevas and Daniel O’Shiel. Brill, 2023. pp. ix + 186
- Philosophical Self-Knowledge: Two Studies. Donald Phillip Verene. Ibidem-Verlag, 2023. pp. 120
- Three Answers to the Question “What Is Philosophy?”: A Comedy in Three Acts. Stuart Dalton. Cascade Books, 2024. pp. xxiv + 328
- 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
- Playful Transgression Theory of Humor and Laughter
- The Joke-Coop: Pragmatic Issues of Jokes and Joking
- Crying and Laughing Together: Georges Bataille, Friendship, and Deep Emotions
- Humor in Chinese Traditions of Thought, Part Two: Chan Buddhism, Han Confucianism, Legalism, the School of Names, and the Annals of Lü Buwei
- The Concept of Humorous Irony: Jorge Portilla, Carlos Alberto Sánchez, Richard Rorty, Jonathan Lear, and Socrates, with Minimal Reference to Kierkegaard
- In Memoriam: Daniel C. Dennett
- In Memoriam: Daniel C. Dennett Edited by Lydia Amir
- “Much Too Hard!”: Daniel C. Dennett on Humor
- Daniel C. Dennett: An Intellectual in a World of Technicians
- Daniel C. Dennett: A Wellspring of Inspiration
- Discussion: Article for Further Debate
- Discussion: Article for Further Debate Edited by John Marmysz
- Self-Referential Humor as Feminist Protest
- Too Much Burden on Humor?
- The Challenge of Self-Acceptance: Embracing Imperfection in a Perfectionist World
- “… And You Can Use a Little Improvement”
- The Sardonic Philosophy of Emil Cioran: Enter Crying, Exit Grinning
- Philosophic Satire and Comedy Study
- Philosophic Satire and Comedy Study Edited by Steven Gimbel
- Nicki Minaj and the Double Entendre: When Explaining a Joke Doesn’t Kill It
- Tractatus Ludico-Philosophicus (expurgated version)
- Humor in Philosophy Education
- Humor in Philosophy Education Edited by Christine A. James
- Professorial Academic Identity Defined through Humor
- Symposium
- Symposium Edited by Lydia Amir Giorgio Baruchello and Arsæll Már Arnarsson, Humour and Cruelty, Vols. 1 – 3 (parts 1 and 2) Berlin: de Gruyter, 2022 – 2024. De Gruyter Series in Philosophy of Humor, edited by Lydia Amir Critics
- The Humorously Cruel Experience of Reading Humour and Cruelty
- Do Humor and Cruelty Go Together?
- An Insightful Tour de Force in Comprehensive Metaphysics of Humor
- Cruel Humor and Funny Cruelty
- Author’s Response
- Author’s Response
- Humoring Our Critics’ Ostensibly Good-Humored Cruelties and Ársæll Már Arnarsson
- Book Reviews
- Book Reviews Edited by Lydia Amir With Pierre Destrée (Ancient and Medieval Philosophy) and John Marmysz (Modern and Contemporary Philosophy)
- The Philosophical Stage: Drama and Dialectic in Classical Athens. Joshua Billings. Princeton University Press, 2021. pp. X + 269
- Philosophy of Humour: New Perspectives, edited by Viktoras Bachmetjevas and Daniel O’Shiel. Brill, 2023. pp. ix + 186
- Philosophical Self-Knowledge: Two Studies. Donald Phillip Verene. Ibidem-Verlag, 2023. pp. 120
- Three Answers to the Question “What Is Philosophy?”: A Comedy in Three Acts. Stuart Dalton. Cascade Books, 2024. pp. xxiv + 328
- Call for Papers, Book Reviews, Guidelines
- Call for Papers, Book Reviews, Guidelines
- Call for Papers
