University of Michigan Press, 2005 Cloth: 978-0-472-09818-7 | Paper: 978-0-472-06818-0 | eISBN: 978-0-472-02272-4 Library of Congress Classification BH301.C7B83 2003 Dewey Decimal Classification 179
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
ABOUT THIS BOOK
“Bravo! I’ll say nothing funny about it, for it is a
superior piece of work.”
—P. J. O’Rourke
“F. H. Buckley’s The Morality of Laughter is at once
a humorous look at serious matters and a serious
book about humor.”
—Crisis Magazine
“Buckley has written a . ne and funny book that will
be read with pleasure and instruction.”
—First Things
“. . . written elegantly and often wittily. . . .”
—National Post
“. . . a fascinating philosophical exposition of
laughter. . . .”
—National Review
“. . . at once a wise and highly amusing book.”
—Wall Street Journal Online
“. . . a useful reminder that a cheery society is a
healthy one.”
—Weekly Standard
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
F. H. Buckley is Associate Dean and Executive Director, Law Economics Center, George Mason University School of Law.
REVIEWS
"F. H. Buckley's The Morality of Laughter is at once a humorous look at serious matters and a serious book about humor."
—Thomas S. Hibbs, Boston College, Crisis Magazine, May 2003
— Thomas S. Hibbs, Boston College, Crisis Magazine
"Buckley has written a fine and funny book that will be read with pleasure and instruction."
—Dermot Quinn, Seton Hall University, First Things, August-September 2003
— Dermot Quinn, Seton Hall University, First Things
". .. written elegantly and often wittily. . . ."
—Gerald Owen, National Post, April 26, 2003
— Gerald Owen, National Post
". . . a fascinating philosophical exposition of laughter. . . . In what he describes as a 'very conservative' project, Buckley outlines the role of laughter in strengthening the virtues, and also in correcting vices (including the overreaches of fashionable intellectuals)."
—Michael Potemra, National Review
— Michael Potemra, National Review
"One of the most engaging aspects of this book is Buckley's revelation of humor in unexpected places. . . . Despite its philosophical aims, The Morality of Laughter abounds with amusing anecdotes and observations."
—Laurie Morrow, National Review Online, May 8, 2003
— Laurie Morrow, National Review Online
"There are so many good things in this book, but I'm not sure they really need to be placed in an overall theory. If one is needed, then the superiority theory is as good as any and it has the merit of being a goad to egalitarians. . . . The author does not need his theory to achieve what the book achieves, which is to confront us with the neglected importance of humor. This is really his theme and his treatment of it is a triumph. Laughter is crucial for the good life and the good society. And there is laughter to be had while reading the book."
—Digby Anderson, Social Affairs Unit, London, New Criterion, September 2003
— Digby Anderson, Social Affairs Unit, London, New Criterion
"Mr. Buckley shows that laughter is not simply a physiological tic or a vacation from earnestness. On the contrary, it is a potent civilizing force, binding together jester and audience, on one side, and upbraiding the butt or victim of the joke on the other. . . . [H]e deftly dramatizes the humanizing potential of humor: its ability to expose hypocrisy and other 'comic vices' even as it nurtures a variety of 'comic virtues,' not least a supple sense of the appropriate. . . . The Morality of Laughter is at once a wise and highly amusing book."
—Roger Kimball, Wall Street Journal Online, June 3, 2003
— Roger Kimball, Wall Street Journal Online
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Preface
Part I. The Positive Thesis
1. Laughter as Superiority
2. The Elements of Laughter
3. The One Necessary Thing
Part II. The Normative Thesis
4. Objections to the Normative Thesis
5. Comic Virtues and Vices
6. The Social Virtues
7. The Charismatic Virtues
8. Machine Law
9. Machine Scholarship
10. Machine Art and Machine Cities
Part III. The Experience of Laughter
11. The Battle of the Norms
12. Resistance to Laughter
13. The Sociability Thesis
14. Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
University of Michigan Press, 2005 Cloth: 978-0-472-09818-7 Paper: 978-0-472-06818-0 eISBN: 978-0-472-02272-4
“Bravo! I’ll say nothing funny about it, for it is a
superior piece of work.”
—P. J. O’Rourke
“F. H. Buckley’s The Morality of Laughter is at once
a humorous look at serious matters and a serious
book about humor.”
—Crisis Magazine
“Buckley has written a . ne and funny book that will
be read with pleasure and instruction.”
—First Things
“. . . written elegantly and often wittily. . . .”
—National Post
“. . . a fascinating philosophical exposition of
laughter. . . .”
—National Review
“. . . at once a wise and highly amusing book.”
—Wall Street Journal Online
“. . . a useful reminder that a cheery society is a
healthy one.”
—Weekly Standard
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
F. H. Buckley is Associate Dean and Executive Director, Law Economics Center, George Mason University School of Law.
REVIEWS
"F. H. Buckley's The Morality of Laughter is at once a humorous look at serious matters and a serious book about humor."
—Thomas S. Hibbs, Boston College, Crisis Magazine, May 2003
— Thomas S. Hibbs, Boston College, Crisis Magazine
"Buckley has written a fine and funny book that will be read with pleasure and instruction."
—Dermot Quinn, Seton Hall University, First Things, August-September 2003
— Dermot Quinn, Seton Hall University, First Things
". .. written elegantly and often wittily. . . ."
—Gerald Owen, National Post, April 26, 2003
— Gerald Owen, National Post
". . . a fascinating philosophical exposition of laughter. . . . In what he describes as a 'very conservative' project, Buckley outlines the role of laughter in strengthening the virtues, and also in correcting vices (including the overreaches of fashionable intellectuals)."
—Michael Potemra, National Review
— Michael Potemra, National Review
"One of the most engaging aspects of this book is Buckley's revelation of humor in unexpected places. . . . Despite its philosophical aims, The Morality of Laughter abounds with amusing anecdotes and observations."
—Laurie Morrow, National Review Online, May 8, 2003
— Laurie Morrow, National Review Online
"There are so many good things in this book, but I'm not sure they really need to be placed in an overall theory. If one is needed, then the superiority theory is as good as any and it has the merit of being a goad to egalitarians. . . . The author does not need his theory to achieve what the book achieves, which is to confront us with the neglected importance of humor. This is really his theme and his treatment of it is a triumph. Laughter is crucial for the good life and the good society. And there is laughter to be had while reading the book."
—Digby Anderson, Social Affairs Unit, London, New Criterion, September 2003
— Digby Anderson, Social Affairs Unit, London, New Criterion
"Mr. Buckley shows that laughter is not simply a physiological tic or a vacation from earnestness. On the contrary, it is a potent civilizing force, binding together jester and audience, on one side, and upbraiding the butt or victim of the joke on the other. . . . [H]e deftly dramatizes the humanizing potential of humor: its ability to expose hypocrisy and other 'comic vices' even as it nurtures a variety of 'comic virtues,' not least a supple sense of the appropriate. . . . The Morality of Laughter is at once a wise and highly amusing book."
—Roger Kimball, Wall Street Journal Online, June 3, 2003
— Roger Kimball, Wall Street Journal Online
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Preface
Part I. The Positive Thesis
1. Laughter as Superiority
2. The Elements of Laughter
3. The One Necessary Thing
Part II. The Normative Thesis
4. Objections to the Normative Thesis
5. Comic Virtues and Vices
6. The Social Virtues
7. The Charismatic Virtues
8. Machine Law
9. Machine Scholarship
10. Machine Art and Machine Cities
Part III. The Experience of Laughter
11. The Battle of the Norms
12. Resistance to Laughter
13. The Sociability Thesis
14. Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
It can take 2-3 weeks for requests to be filled.
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE