<p>“The podcast is great, but one thing hasn’t been covered yet: humour. It’s an essential part of our human condition, and would certainly be worth an episode.”</p><p>This listener feedback was easy to agree with. </p><p>From standup comedy to nervous laughter, our lives are filled with chuckles and giggles. </p><p>Why? </p><p>Why do adults laugh at witty jokes whilst children laugh at the simple pleasures of peek-a-boo? And why should any of us laugh in the first place?</p><p>My guest is<a href="https://www.miramagdalenasickinger.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"> Mira Magdalena Sickinger.</a> a poet and a philosopher of humour from the University of Vienna.</p><p>We cover a lot in the discussion: from the social roles of humour, to the politics of joking, and the therapeutic effects of a humorous attitude. In the course of the conversation, we cover the views of many intellectual giants, from Sigmund Freud to Immanuel Kant — and while the conversation includes a handful of silly jokes (be warned), it ends with a deeper reflection on how humour can serve as a window into the human condition itself. </p><p><br></p><p><strong>FACT CHECKING</strong></p><p>No errors have been found as of now. If you find an error in this or other episodes, get in touch via the form below.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>LINKS</strong></p><p>Articles and essays: <a href="OnHumans.Substack.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠OnHumans.Substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p>Support: <a href="Patreon.com/OnHumans" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com/OnHumans⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p>Contact Form: <a href="https://forms.gle/h5wcmefuwvD6asos8" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠https://forms.gle/h5wcmefuwvD6asos8⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>MENTIONS</strong></p><p>Simon Critchley | Ted Cohen | Robin Dunbar | Ágnes Heller | John Morreal | Immanuel Kant | Thomas Wilk &amp; Steven Gimbel | V S Ramachandran | Sigmund Freud | Janet Bing⁠ &amp;  ⁠Joanne Scheibman ⁠| Thomas Nagel | Aristotle | Thomas Aquinas | John Dewey | Robin Tyler</p><p><br></p><p><strong>KEYWORDS</strong></p><p>Philosophy | Psychology |Anthropology | Incongruence theory | Relief theory | Superiority theory | Play theory | Humor | Blended spaces | Stasi &amp; communism jokes in East Germany | Feminist &amp; queer humor | Jokes | Absurdity | Irony | Existentialism | Meaning of life | </p><p><br></p>