Download or read book I Think Therefore I Laugh written by John Allen Paulos and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2000 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: - Brian Butterworth, author of What Counts: How Every Brain is Hardwired for Math.
Download or read book I Think Therefore I Laugh written by John Allen Paulos and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inspired by Wittgenstein's quip that a book on philosophy might consist entirely of jokes I Think, Therefore I Laugh explores topics such as misunderstandings of mathematics and science and of the relation between them, pseudo-science and its appeal, the uses and misuses of probability and statistics, humour and higher order endeavours and the interplay between narrative and numbers. This is a new edition of John Allen Paulos' second of six books and fans will recognise themes he later went on to pursue in other words.
Download or read book I Think Therefore I Have a Headache written by Martha Bolton and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A humorous look at everyday life with anecdotes on topics including family, faith, food, and religion.
Download or read book I Drink Therefore I Am written by Roger Scruton and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2013-01-03 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Here Scruton explains the connection between good wine and serious thought with a heady mix of humour and philosophy. We are familiar with the medical opinion that a daily glass of wine is good for the health and also the rival opinion that any more than a glass or two will set us on the road to ruin. Whether or not good for the body, Scruton argues, wine, drunk in the right frame of mind, is definitely good for the soul. And there is no better accompaniment to wine than philosophy. By thinking with wine, you can learn not only to drink in thoughts but to think in draughts. This good-humoured book offers an antidote to the pretentious clap-trap that is written about wine today and a profound apology for the drink on which civilisation has been founded. In vino veritas.
Download or read book Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar written by Thomas Cathcart and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2008-06-24 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This New York Times bestseller is the hilarious philosophy course everyone wishes they’d had in school. Outrageously funny, Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar... has been a breakout bestseller ever since authors—and born vaudevillians—Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein did their schtick on NPR’s Weekend Edition. Lively, original, and powerfully informative, Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar... is a not-so-reverent crash course through the great philosophical thinkers and traditions, from Existentialism (What do Hegel and Bette Midler have in common?) to Logic (Sherlock Holmes never deduced anything). Philosophy 101 for those who like to take the heavy stuff lightly, this is a joy to read—and finally, it all makes sense! And now, you can read Daniel Klein's further musings on life and philosophy in Travels with Epicurus and Every Time I Find the Meaning of Life, They Change it.
Download or read book I Think Therefore I Draw written by Daniel Klein and published by Text Publishing. This book was released on 2018-10-29 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What’s the best way to answer some of the biggest questions in life—questions like: Does God exist? What is the meaning of life? Is there a basic principle for all moral decisions? What is the best way to organise society? How do we know what is true? Are there limits to what we can know? Why do things exist? Is there life after death? Is there a design to the Universe? What is a ‘self’? What is beauty? What is humankind’s place in the cosmos? New York Times bestselling authors Daniel Klein and Thomas Cathcart have the answer: I Think, Therefore I Draw is a hilarious new exploration of philosophy through cartoons—a thorough introduction to all the major debates in philosophy through history to the present day. Packed with humour and loaded with profound philosophical insight, I Think, Therefore I Draw will delight and enlighten readers. Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein have known each other since they were philosophy students at Harvard. They have written several bestsellers together, including Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar and Aristotle and an Aardvark Go to Washington. Cathcart is the author of The Trolley Problem, or Would You Throw the Fat Guy Off the Bridge? Klein’s other books include Travels with Epicurus and Every Time I Find the Meaning of Life, They Change It. ‘One is left marvelling at the depths the authors find in seemingly whimsical or simple sketches...A guide for those who like to smile wryly as they gently exercise their brains.’ Age ‘A breathtaking, entertaining and thoroughly digestible guide to some of the best thoughts ever thunk.’ Weekly Review on Everytime I Find The Meaning of Life, They Change It ‘A book with a lightness of touch that is also deeply serious and satisfying philosophically.’ Weekend Australian on Travels with Epicurus ‘You don’t have to be old to be won over by the charms of this intelligent, playful and moving book.’ Saturday Age on Travels with Epicurus
Download or read book Laughter Humor and Comedy in Ancient Philosophy written by Pierre Destrée and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ancient philosophers were very interested in questions about laughter, humor and comedy. They theorized about laughter and its causes, moralized about the appropriate uses of humor and what it is appropriate to laugh at, and wrote treaties on comedic composition. This volume explores themes that were important for ancient philosophers: the psychology of laughter, the ethical and social norms governing laughter and humor, and the philosophical uses of humor and comedic technique.
Download or read book Born Standing Up written by Steve Martin and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2008-09-04 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Steve Martin has been an international star for over thirty years. Here, for the first time, he looks back to the beginning of his career and charmingly evokes the young man he once was. Born in Texas but raised in California, Steve was seduced early by the comedy shows that played on the radio when the family travelled back and forth to visit relatives. When Disneyland opened just a couple of miles away from home, an enchanted Steve was given his first chance to learn magic and entertain an audience. He describes how he noted the reaction to each joke in a ledger - 'big laugh' or 'quiet' - and assiduously studied the acts of colleagues, stealing jokes when needed. With superb detail, Steve recreates the world of small, dark clubs and the fear and exhilaration of standing in the spotlight. While a philosophy student at UCLA, he worked hard at local clubs honing his comedy and slowly attracting a following until he was picked up to write for TV. From here on, Steve Martin became an acclaimed comedian, packing out venues nationwide. One night, however, he noticed empty seats and realised he had 'reached the top of the rollercoaster'. BORN STANDING UP is a funny and riveting chronicle of how Steve Martin became the comedy genius we now know and is also a fascinating portrait of an era.
Download or read book The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh written by Helen Rutter and published by Scholastic Inc.. This book was released on 2021-08-03 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When life is funny, make some jokes about it. Billy Plimpton has a big dream: to become a famous comedian when he grows up. He already knows a lot of jokes, but thinks he has one big problem standing in his way: his stutter. At first, Billy thinks the best way to deal with this is to . . . never say a word. That way, the kids in his new school won’t hear him stammer. But soon he finds out this is NOT the best way to deal with things. (For one thing, it’s very hard to tell a joke without getting a word out.) As Billy makes his way toward the spotlight, a lot of funny things (and some less funny things) happen to him. In the end, the whole school will know -- If you think you can hold Billy Plimpton back, be warned: The joke will soon be on you!
Download or read book Love and Other Thought Experiments written by Sophie Ward and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2021-09-28 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This impressive debut novel, longlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize, takes its premise and inspiration from ten of the best-known thought experiments in philosophy—the what-ifs of philosophical investigation—and uses them to talk about love in a wholly unique way. Married couple Rachel and Eliza are considering having a child. Rachel wants one desperately, and Eliza thinks she does, too, but she can't quite seem to wrap her head around the idea. When Rachel wakes up screaming one night and tells Eliza that an ant has crawled into her eye and is stuck there, Eliza initially sees it as a cry for attention. But Rachel is adamant. She knows it sounds crazy—but she also knows it's true. As a scientist, Eliza is skeptical. Suddenly their entire relationship is called into question. What follows is a uniquely imaginative sequence of ten interconnecting episodes—each from a different character's perspective—inspired by some of the best-known thought experiments in philosophy. Together they form a sparkling philosophical tale of love lost and found across the universe.
Download or read book Ha written by Scott Weems and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2014-03-04 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An entertaining tour of the science of humor and laughter Humor, like pornography, is famously difficult to define. We know it when we see it, but is there a way to figure out what we really find funny -- and why? In this fascinating investigation into the science of humor and laughter, cognitive neuroscientist Scott Weems uncovers what's happening in our heads when we giggle, guffaw, or double over with laughter. While we typically think of humor in terms of jokes or comic timing, in Ha! Weems proposes a provocative new model. Humor arises from inner conflict in the brain, he argues, and is part of a larger desire to comprehend a complex world. Showing that the delight that comes with "getting" a punchline is closely related to the joy that accompanies the insight to solve a difficult problem, Weems explores why surprise is such an important element in humor, why computers are terrible at recognizing what's funny, and why it takes so long for a tragedy to become acceptable comedic fodder. From the role of insult jokes to the benefit of laughing for our immune system, Ha! reveals why humor is so idiosyncratic, and why how-to books alone will never help us become funnier people. Packed with the latest research, illuminating anecdotes, and even a few jokes, Ha! lifts the curtain on this most human of qualities. From the origins of humor in our brains to its life on the standup comedy circuit, this book offers a delightful tour of why humor is so important to our daily lives.
Download or read book Mathematics and Humor written by John Allen Paulos and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2008-08-04 with total page 126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: John Allen Paulos cleverly scrutinizes the mathematical structures of jokes, puns, paradoxes, spoonerisms, riddles, and other forms of humor, drawing examples from such sources as Rabelais, Shakespeare, James Beattie, René Thom, Lewis Carroll, Arthur Koestler, W. C. Fields, and Woody Allen. "Jokes, paradoxes, riddles, and the art of non-sequitur are revealed with great perception and insight in this illuminating account of the relationship between humor and mathematics."—Joseph Williams, New York Times "'Leave your mind alone,' said a Thurber cartoon, and a really complete and convincing analysis of what humour is might spoil all jokes forever. This book avoids that danger. What it does. . .is describe broadly several kinds of mathematical theory and apply them to throw sidelights on how many kinds of jokes work."—New Scientist "Many scholars nowadays write seriously about the ludicrous. Some merely manage to be dull. A few—like Paulos—are brilliant in an odd endeavor."—Los Angeles Times Book Review
Download or read book French Laughter written by W. D. Redfern and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2008-02-21 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The culmination of a lifetime's fascination with humor, Walter Redfern's book treats major French writers from the 18th to the 20th centuries as humorists, including Diderot, Rousseau, Sade, Huysmans, Flaubert, Beckett, and Tournier. He considers irony, hyperbole, wordplay, jokes, dialogue, humor as philosophical speculation, and plagiarism.
Download or read book The Mirror of Laughter written by Alexander Kozintsev and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-07-12 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Mirror of Laughter presents a theory of humor and laughter by examining their relationship to human behaviors. Kozintsev is especially interested in the relationship between biological and cultural factors that influence behaviors. He divides his work into four chapters, the first of which establishes a theme of the book, focusing on the study of meaning from the perspective of philosophy and psychology, while examining linguistic theories of humor. The second chapter examines biological data regarding laughter and the evolutionary origins of laughter and humor. It demonstrates the author's interest in studying humor objectively by detailing physiological reactions and underlying psychological issues. The third section on play, including linguistic play, distinguishes between orderly and disorderly play. While orderly play has no biological roots and is synonymous with culture, disorderly play is rooted in the pre-human past. The final chapter discusses the conflict between culture and nature and how culture has transformed the original semantics of laughter. Kozintsev seeks to understand the relationship between the biological, cultural, and social origins of humor and, from here, he seeks to create new understanding that only the alliance of several disciplines could provide. All of this is done while the author challenges many popular ideas of humor, such as that humor is inherently related to hostility. Originally written in Russian, this work makes great strides towards its goal, and it does so in an interesting and enlightening way.
Download or read book Issues in Philosophical Counseling written by Peter B. Raabe and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2002-06-30 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Raabe examines some of the most perplexing problems a client may present to a counselor and how a philosopher would deal with them. He provides a detailed philosophical discussion as well as illustrative case studies of some of the most important issues encountered in any counseling practice. The first six chapters discuss philosophical counseling in general terms, while the following 15 chapters deal with specific life issues such as the differences between how men and women communicate and how this is relevant to a counseling discussion, the role of medication in therapy, the concept of normalcy, the meaning of life, the motivation behind suicide, dream interpretation, and religious beliefs. An important resource for professionals, students, and scholars involved with philosophical counseling and applied/practical philosophy.
Download or read book Inside Jokes written by Matthew M. Hurley and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2011 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Some things are funny -- jokes, puns, sitcoms, Charlie Chaplin, The Far Side, Malvolio with his yellow garters crossed -- but why? Why does humor exist in the first place? Why do we spend so much of our time passing on amusing anecdotes, making wisecracks, watching The Simpsons? In Inside Jokes, Matthew Hurley, Daniel Dennett, and Reginald Adams offer an evolutionary and cognitive perspective. Humor, they propose, evolved out of a computational problem that arose when our long-ago ancestors were furnished with open-ended thinking. Mother Nature -- aka natural selection -- cannot just order the brain to find and fix all our time-pressured misleaps and near-misses. She has to bribe the brain with pleasure. So we find them funny. This wired-in source of pleasure has been tickled relentlessly by humorists over the centuries, and we have become addicted to the endogenous mind candy that is humor.
