In on the Joke: The Ethics of Humor and Comedy

Thomas Wilk; Steven Gimbel

Published by De Gruyter 2024

In on the Joke: The Ethics of Humor and Comedy

Thomas Wilk and Steven Gimbel

Volume 4 in the series De Gruyter Studies in Philosophy of Humor

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110759853

Overview
Contents

About this book

Who is morally permitted to tell jokes about Jews? Poles? Women? Only those in the group? Only those who would be punching up? Anyone, since they are just jokes? All of the standard approaches are too broad or too narrow. In on the Joke provides a more sophisticated approach according to which each person possesses "joke capital" that can serve as "comic insurance" covering certain jokes in certain contexts. When Bob tells a joke about Jews, we can never know exactly what Bob is intending since we cannot see inside Bob’s mind. But we could reasonably infer, if we knew Bob himself was Jewish, if he worked tirelessly for Jewish causes, or was a card-carrying Neo-Nazi. Each would affect his joke capital, and, in certain circumstances, we would have a moral standing to demand to see his ledger to see how much joke capital he had with respect to Jews. The permissibility of that joke depends upon four factors: the joke, the teller of the joke, the audience, and the setting. The view developed in In on the Joke is the only view that clearly explains how each of these components work together in an integrated, effective ethic of humor.

Author / Editor information

Thomas Wilk, Widener University, Chester, USA; Steven Gimbel, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, USA.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	I
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	VII
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	IX
Introduction. The Need for a Better Account of Joke Ethics Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Chapter 1: Das Capital: Joke Capital and Where to Get It Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	22
Chapter 2: You Know Me Better Than That: Joking with Friends Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	52
Chapter 3: We Hardly Knew Ye: Joking with Strangers Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	67
Chapter 4: From Open Mics to Open Minds: Joking on Stage Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	81
Chapter 5: Hey Boss, That’s Pretty Funny: Joking with Power Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	109
Chapter 6: Putting the “Twit” in Twitter: Virtual Jokes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	126
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	138
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	142

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter
Audience: Scholars or laypeople interested in philosophy, humor studies, performance studies, aesthetics, institutes, libraries
Pages
- Front matter: 10
- Main content: 144
Keywords: Humor; ethics; social contract; jokes

eBook

Published: January 29, 2024
ISBN: 9783110759853

Hardcover

Published: January 29, 2024
ISBN: 9783110759754