Philosophers' Theories on Humor

     I disagree with Plato's theories on humor, and I think Irby's writing provides significant support to prove Plato is wrong. Plato believes laughter is something to be avoided, as it comes from a lose of control and a place of malice. According to Plato,  we laugh at vice, or self-ignorance, of people who are powerless (10). I argue that we laugh at vice or self-ignorance in our selves, and that this source of laughter is only a percentage of the things we find humorous. Irby shows this first hand, presenting the less admirable and desirable aspects of herself and personality and making jokes of her own experiences. We laugh at her work, not because we think of ourselves as better than her, but rather because we can relate to her, and are laughing at her ability to make relatable parts of the human experience into something fun and humorous. In this way, we repute Hobbes' superiority theory of laughter, that we laugh as a sudden expression of glory in feeling superior to another (19). 

    In addition to this, I would argue in support of Kierkegaard's theory that the primary element in the comical is contradiction. Perhaps it is just from my view as an English major, but reflecting on the humor I have read in the past, much of the work I find most humorous comes from uses of irony in writing. I think on a day to day basis this can be further analyzed, because some of the things we find funniest come from a sense of karma or fate, in which an action will consequently lead to a result that we find funny, as well as incongruity, in which we expect one thing to happen and the surprise from what actually comes makes it funny. I find that these moments may also come with a sense of irony, as well as laughing at our own shortcomings, such as when you have a particularly bad day, and thinking it can't get worse, something terrible then happens, like dropping your coffee or getting a parking ticket, While there is nothing necessarily funny about the circumstances, we have no choice but to laugh, because, as the saying goes, if we don't laugh, we'll cry.