Gagging on Profundity
A Collection of Philosophical Humor
by Patrick J.J. Phillips. Ph.D.

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“Humour of the philosophical pedigree can ‘bring us up short’, break us out of our commonplace acceptance, our slumber dogmatic, and require us to reassess what we thought we knew, or ask questions about that which had previously lain fallow in our thinking. Humour may awaken the ‘sleeping metaphors’ that all of us live by….” “The philosopher Sydney Smith (1771 – 1845) identified the salutary effect of humour on the human character … he comments, ‘A man might sit down systematically, and successfully, to the study of wit as he might to the study of mathematics ... by giving up only six hours a day to being witty, he should come on prodigiously before midsummer.’” The book contains over 300 entries from humourists, economists, scientists, psychologists and novelists on topics which include: reality, meaning, language, morality, politics, knowledge and truth. Also: a sampling of conventional philosophical humour from many different countries and traditions.

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Dr. Patrick J.J. Phillips was educated in England before receiving his Ph.D. in Philosophy from York University, Toronto, Canada. Dr. Phillips’ other publications include The Challenge of Relativism: Its Nature and Limits (Continuum Press, 2007) and Medieval Animal Trials: Justice For All (Edwin Mellen Press, 2013). Dr. Phillips is a winner of York University’s President’s University-Wide Teaching Award and the International Education Award.

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Contributors

Author

Patrick J.J. Phillips. Ph.D.

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