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(2014) Humor, laughter and human flourishing, Dordrecht, Springer.
This chapter focuses on some interesting, though often neglected, aspects of the relationship between friendship, intimacy, and humor. I begin my analysis by examining the different types of friendships while highlighting the characteristics of the particular kind of friendship that involves intimacy. The second part discusses the concept of intimacy, which has not received much attention among philosophers of education. Next, I move to the heart of this chapter which focuses on the question of: how can humor enhance intimacy in friendship? In the final part of the chapter, I outline some educational implications that can be gleaned from the analysis of the relationship between friendship, intimacy, and humor. Specifically, I maintain that friends can enlighten each other about many things such as new knowledge that they were not aware of, implicit feelings that may not be adequately understood, and values that they are committed to. Some of these insights may be painful or difficult to accept and, as I demonstrate, here is where humor can play a significant role.
Publication details
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-00834-9_5
Full citation:
Gordon, M. (2014). Friendship, intimacy, and humor, in Humor, laughter and human flourishing, Dordrecht, Springer, pp. 57-69.
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