Ethics of Humor

The bibliography on humor is very extensive, but there are few publications that have tried to elaborate an ethics of humor. I will begin by recounting the basic ideas of Ronald de Sousa, who tells us that our laughter reflects our moral values. Three theories of the causes of the comic have been defended throughout history: the superiority theory, the incongruity theory, and the tension release theory. In connection with those theories, I will show the important proposals for the ethics of humor by Francis H. Buckley and John Morreall. Having explained these authors, I will go on to offer my own proposal for the ethics of humor, as a new ethical theory and as a new applied ethics. I will show various fields of its application, highlighting its contribution to ethical improvement in health care, business and education.