The purpose of humor

@manored,

manored wrote:

What I meant is: If enjoying and appreciating life is something that exists just for the sake of itself, it means it is biologically useless (We could have some other thing to block suicide, like a computer), so it doesnt quite explains the purpose of humor. Well I guess then humor is something evolution ended up creating at randow for no specific reason, like that thing in the end of our intestines that serves no purpose except exploding and killing us

Evolution isn't random. Regardless of the evolutionary development, it is not random. There's a common misconception that evolution is all chance, but this, according to scientists, is not the case.

Enjoying and appreciating life for the sake of enjoying and appreciating life makes sense to me - if not, humans might kill themselves more often, or take worse care of themselves (well, ourselves), both of which hurt our chances for survival. There might be other ways to reduce these problems, but we have humor and humor seems to work rather well.

@manored,

manored wrote:

If anyone here wants good comedy go read some Douglas Adams books... they are not just absurdly fun, they will also open your mind to new manners of thinking.

I was defending someone elses joke =) (believe me I don't make jokes, I wouldn't even try.) Laughing

Oh, also thank you for the suggestion, I may just do that.

@AWohlfarth,

AWohlfarth wrote:

Um...there are a number of things that you can say. That's beside the point...I just meant that he referred to the fish saying "damn" because it ran into a dam =p This is silly to argue over :poke-eye:

The only reason I would argue about humor is to remove any excess fun.

@Fido,

Fido wrote:

The only reason I would argue about humor is to remove any excess fun.

Well...you certainly make a good attempt at it. Laughing

@AWohlfarth,

What is Humor?

When we enjoy something.

OK, this is a classic situation of the human web of emotions and experience. What factors make it different for everyone. The rawest explanation I can think of is experience. What comes from that is perception and acknowledgment.

Acknowledgment is where humor is most relayed. I think this is where I'm able to understand why someone could find a racist joke funny. This is goes back to my statement about how Jokes are very revealing to a person. No question in my mind.

So the real question is, Is it beneficial? How much?

oh, and also I will state that I have been to county prison. While I was there I saw some interesting interaction between White, Black, and Spanish people, that makes this idea of humor, as a bridge. Something is honest in the lie of an offensive joke. I think it depends on how honest the person is with himself that makes the joke funny or not.

What is your take on this guys and girls?

@Joe,

I have a great example of that! How some might find something funny...and others don't. I have a can of spaghettios...(yes I reverted back) which I was going to open for dinner...since you know in college they try to starve us by taking all our money, and my apartment has no other food in it, but I have no can opener. :ya-think: Have to starve in my religion exam in the morning.

@manored,

manored wrote:

Interesting ideas, thought none really threw a light on its purpose... maybe its one of those things accidentally created by evolution

A much simpler question: what is the purpose of laughter? is enough to beat me.

For example, it is quite usual to see a child laughing while it's running. It's usual to see someone laugh when solving a problem...

For all the pairs:
(situation that may cause laughter, characteristics of the individual [1] in which it does cause laughter)
what do you think there is in common?

Maybe there is around some clear and accepted explanation, but I don't know it. Some time ago I even found an old article about a lost tribe without laughter...

manored wrote:

What is the point of enjoying and appreciating life, tough?

Curious question...:shocked:

---
[1] I'd say it's a matter of information and mood... but I'm not sure at all.

YouTube - Twin Baby Boys Laughing at Each Other

@Didymos Thomas,

Didymos Thomas wrote:

Evolution isn't random. Regardless of the evolutionary development, it is not random. There's a common misconception that evolution is all chance, but this, according to scientists, is not the case.

Evolution is not randow but the attempts are, what means that there are some characteristics that creatures develop or keep that dont affect or have a minimal effect in their chances of surviving and reproducing. For example some of the more domestic races of dogs no longer need their instinct of burying stuff, but they try to anyway Smile

For me humor seens a too elaborate solution to the problem of keeping us alive.

AWohlfarth wrote:

I have a great example of that! How some might find something funny...and others don't. I have a can of spaghettios...(yes I reverted back) which I was going to open for dinner...since you know in college they try to starve us by taking all our money, and my apartment has no other food in it, but I have no can opener. :ya-think: Have to starve in my religion exam in the morning.

Stab the can with a knife, a axe, a hammer, a stone...
That doesnt sounds funny tough, just stupid Smile

@BeatsMeWhy,

BMW wrote:

A much simpler question: what is the purpose of laughter? is enough to beat me.

For example, it is quite usual to see a child laughing while it's running. It's usual to see someone laugh when solving a problem...

For all the pairs:
(situation that may cause laughter, characteristics of the individual [1] in which it does cause laughter)
what do you think there is in common?

Maybe there is around some clear and accepted explanation, but I don't know it. Some time ago I even found an old article about a lost tribe without laughter...

Curious question...:shocked:

---
[1] I'd say it's a matter of information and mood... but I'm not sure at all.

YouTube - Twin Baby Boys Laughing at Each Other

Nothing better than a high tech living mirror... You know what they are saying: You're the evil twin... No... You're the evil twin! No, you're the evil twin...

@manored,

manored wrote:

Stab the can with a knife, a axe, a hammer, a stone...
That doesnt sounds funny tough, just stupid

I tried a knife and it worked. Thank you! I no longer starve.:a-ok:

@AWohlfarth,

AWohlfarth wrote:

I tried a knife and it worked. Thank you! I no longer starve.:a-ok:

If you are living out of a can your life has reached the lowest point of degradation... Look at Oscar the Grouch... He is barely human....

@Fido,

Fido wrote:

If you are living out of a can your life has reached the lowest point of degradation... Look at Oscar the Grouch... He is barely human....

Haha:lol:yea but I'm in college and paying for it on my own. I have a decent excuse, but I dont live out of cans, that would be just unhealthy. =p

@AWohlfarth,

AWohlfarth wrote:

I tried a knife and it worked. Thank you! I no longer starve.:a-ok:

Can openers are one of those things some industry
invented and then managed to convince the majority of the population of that its necessary... its just an odd shaped blade Smile

@Fido,

[quote=Fido]
and I thought how awful it would have been for them to learn that a white man had stood on that dock and watched their husband/father die without so much as getting his feet wet... He said he never saw my face, but he knew I was white... He must have thought God had sent a white angel to pull him off the bottom of that dirty old river...

Whatever the joke, and no matter how demeaning it is to them, You cannot let it prevent you from seeing them as human beings and as entitled to their lives as ourselves...[/quote]

Every person does hold a piece of invaluable wisdom. Unfortunately, culture has generated this notion...that skin color reflects the intelligence and purity of a person. Luckily though...their are a small few blessed with a gift...to see no difference in color nor race, not because they simply are ignorant to society, but because they have surpassed and completely overlooked society's perceptions. Luckily...I am so thankful that I did not even have to search for this truth...until I moved (unfortunately and I am sorry to say this) to the South...where the notions of what is "wrong" and "right" were held to a whole new level. I have overcome these acquired notions again and every person has the power to do this. Judging someone based on color or background...is just unfathomable that we could fall to that level. Of course every person has the right to life...and also the right to be treated as you would want to be treated, and with respect. A human is a human, do not look onto ones color and judge them for that do not look at race, gender, ethnicity not religion and judge a man on what his values may be. We hold these norms from what society has presented us with, the minorities overall live in poorer communities which breeds crime, though assuming this of everyone of the color is absurd. Please open your minds; luckily, we were given this gift.

@manored,

No matter what crimes any one person of a race has committed onto you it is no greater than the crime you are committing onto humanity to continue in the degradation that racism brings.

Please believe me when I say I am not heartless...one person may have hurt someone that you know, and if you think the same has not happened to me and that I have no right to talk on this topic than you are wrong. Any color race could have done the same thing as in the instance that you described, but perpetuating hate will only feed the flames and breed more hate. We must release our past, release all anger and look onto the world with a face unblemished, never judging and free, aware of the world though never holding any past anger in your heart.

@AWohlfarth,

Racism. Whats the point?

@Joe,

Joe wrote:

Racism. Whats the point?

No great piling up of wealth is possible without division of people upon some meaningless line because the moment you allow injustice you have justified it...

@Fido,

Fido wrote:

No great piling up of wealth is possible without division of people upon some meaningless line because the moment you allow injustice you have justified it...

Well said, and I believe countries exist mostly for this same purpose...

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The purpose of humor

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