Single Idea 12169

[catalogued under 1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 8. Humour]

Full Idea

Man is the only animal that laughs, so a starting point for all enquiries into laughter must be the hypothesis that it is an attribute of reason (though that gets us no further than our definition of reason).

Gist of Idea

Since only men laugh, it seems to be an attribute of reason

Source

Roger Scruton (Laughter [1982], §1)

Book Reference

Scruton,Roger: 'The Aesthetic Understanding' [Methuen 1983], p.152


A Reaction

I would be inclined to say that both our capacity for reason and our capacity for laughter (and, indeed, our capacity for language) are a consequence of our evolved capacity for meta-thought.