humor
TagUnquestionable Orthodoxies of Philosophy
Philosophy, of all disciplines, should never embrace dogmas—it is supposed to be the quintessentially critical subject—and yet now we’re full to the brim with them. You cannot criticize or even question the current orthodoxies regarding race, gender, or sexual orientation within the institutional framework of academic philosophy.
A Collection of Philosophy Humor
Gerald Dworkin, distinguished professor of philosophy emeritus at UC Davis, has put together another volume of philosophical humor, Philosophy: A Commonplace Book, Volume II. It’s available as an e-book here (as is the first volume). (more…)
Philosophy Horror Films
Halloween is almost upon us, and to mark the occasion, Nolen Gertz, assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Twente, Ethicist For Hire, and philosophy comic strip artist, took to Twitter recently to list some philosophy horror films (#philosophyhorrorfilms): (more…)
Funding Opportunities and Award Competitions (guest post by Amy Olberding)
The following is a guest post* by Amy Olberding, professor of philosophy at the University of Oklahoma, in which she shares some, uh, unusual funding and awards opportunities. (more…)
Logical Fallacies Through Funny Videos
There are online lists of logical fallacies , websites dedicated to explaining them, posters, children’s books, various videos, and, of course, memes. That many of the examples used to illustrate fallacies are humorous is no accident, as a lot of humor involves both upsetting expectations (e.g., saying something that deviates from what we think follows from what’s a..
Which Philosophy Ideas Make for Good Costumes?
Which philosophical ideas (or examples) would make for a good Halloween costume?
Yes, Brain in Vat. We all think we’ve thought of that one already. What else?
Eternal Recurrence? You went as that last year! And the year before.
I suppose you could go as anything. Just make a sign that says “p & ¬ p” and walk behind it.
How would you go about dressing up ..
Meet the Daily Nous Cartoonists!
I am very excited to announce that Daily Nous will soon have its own comic strips!
The call for cartoonists generated so many good submissions that I couldn’t pick just one of them—instead, there will be four. Each of the four strips will appear one at a time, on Tuesdays or Thursdays, every other week. The artists (and their strips) are Rachel Katler (Ad Hoc),..
Using Comedy Clips in Philosophy Class
I sometimes use excerpts from comedy routines or shows in my teaching. For example, when I teach Frankfurt’s On Bullshit in my contemporary moral problems course, I regularly use this segment from the Colbert Report:
The Colbert Report
Colbert Report Episode Guide, More Colbert Report Videos, Comedy Central Full Episodes
And in my philosophy and ..
Descartes on Spring Break
Tommy Maranges, AKA Philosophy Bro (@PhiloBro) has written a book. It’s a translation of Descartes’ Meditations. A translation into which language, you ask? Modern vernacular. Or, as the kids say, “as the kids say.”
His version starts off with:
HOLY SHIT FUCK ME, it feels like my eyeballs are going to explode. I barely remember shit and I lost my phone, I blew..
Lack of Philosophical Progress Owed to Procrastination, Study Hopes to Find
Historians of philosophy and experimental philosophers have teamed up to determine why there has been so little progress in philosophy. “Socrates asked ‘what is the nature of the good life?’ a couple of thousand years ago,” says Jeffrey McDonough (Harvard), “and now, in 2015, my department is stuffed full of people still—supposedly—working on this question and o..
“Motivational” Posters from Philosophers
Flavorwire posts a set of (de)motivational posters featuring quotes “from your favorite depressing philosophers.” Philosophers, I think we can do better. My attempts:
These were pretty easy to make by modifying this blank version of the stereotypical corporate motivational poster, but afterwards (of course) I noticed what looks like an even easier met..
New Journal In Need of Submissions
I’ve received word of a new generalist philosophy journal that is in need of submissions: Proceedings of the Society of Drinking a Lot of Cough Syrup. You can see what kind of stuff they’re interested in from the abstracts on this page. From one of them: “Physics doesn’t care about location in constitution space. Don’t worry about it; physics doesn’t care about you ..
Philosophers Attempt Pictionary
“I’m sorry Bentham, but the thing-in-itself is bit harder to depict than a goddman panopticon!”
Well done, Existential Comics.
Comedians on Philosophers
Modern Day Philosophers is a series of podcasts of comedians talking about philosophers. It is hosted by comedian Danny Lobell, and has featured a variety of conversations with comedians discussing and learning about a variety of philosophers, including Lewis Black on William James, Janeane Garofalo on Tom Regan, Bill Burr on Adam Smith, Fred Stoller on Heraclitus, ..
Dungeons and Dragons and Derrida
For the readership in that part of the Venn diagram where the “Dungeons & Dragons”, “Continental Philosophy”, and “Sense of Humor About Yourself” circles overlap: “The Orc-Paladin relationship is nothing more than an oppressive power structure, which can be traced back to the medieval relationship between the priesthood and the lepers.” (Note the mouse-over text is ..
Aphorisms, Quips, and Tweets
Epictetus, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein — they’re just some of the philosophers known for putting big ideas into small packages. They are great to read, yet the aphoristic or epigrammatic style is not very common among philosophers today. Sydney Morgenbesser comes to mind as a more recent master of the philosophical quip (e.g., “Of course pragmatism is true; the trouble..
Philosophers of Food (Friday Fun)
Think of a philosopher. Now think of that philosopher’s signature food, named in honor of said philosopher. What is it called and what is it like?
examples:
Derek Parfait – amazingly large ice cream sundae, served with a very very tiny spoon, for your total enjoyment.
Peppermint Patty Churchland – this mouthwatering confection will leave you speechless, mainly b..
“Waiter, There’s A Fly In My Soup!”
“Yes, I see him, trapped, floating helplessly on the surface of the broth, spinning slowly near the vortex left by your quickly withdrawn spoon, much as humanity rides atop the surface of life, unable to escape its predicament yet unwilling to dive in and explore it, instead knocked about by uncomprehended forces, heads set spinning by God’s hasty retreat, mere obse..
Necessary and Sufficient Conditions for Humor
A possible breakthrough in the analysis and science of humor, reported here.
March Madness: “Overrated Philosophers”
Critical-Theory.com has set up a March Madness tournament, bracket and all, of “overrated philosophers.” You can enter your vote here.