The Morality of Laughter

Front Cover
University of Michigan Press, 2005 - 256 pages
“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

From inside the book

Contents

Laughter as Superiority
3
The Elements of Laughter
16
The One Necessary Thing
29
Objections to the Normative Thesis
49
Comic Virtues and Vices
60
The Social Virtues
87
The Charismatic Virtues
108
Machine Law
119
Machine Scholarship
129
Machine Art and Machine Cities
143
Resistance to Laughter
164
The Sociability Thesis
178
Conclusion
191
Bibliography
219
Index
235
Copyright

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About the author (2005)

F. H. Buckley is Associate Dean and Executive Director, Law Economics Center, George Mason University School of Law.

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