Laughter in the Dark: The Consolation of Comedy

Kieran Setiya (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Eminent Scholar Lecture: Laughter in the Dark: The Consolation of Comedy Featuring Kieran Setiya, Peter de Florez Professor of Philosophy at MIT

In person and live streamed on UMBCtube

Abstract:  Can humour help us cope with hardship without distancing or denial? Does laughter at misfortune manifest what Bergson called “a momentary anesthesia of the heart”—or worse? This talk takes up a puzzle about confessional comedy: why isn’t it vicious to draw pleasure from another’s suffering, as we do when comics joke about trauma? The answer turns on the fine structure of empathy; and the upshot is a theory of confessional stand-up as bespoke theodicy: a temporary, interpersonal solution to the emotional problem of evil. This solution is one we can administer to ourselves, using humour to confront adversity. Content note: violence and sexual assault.