Why (Not) Philosophy of Stand-Up Comedy?

Abstract

Why (not) philosophy of stand-up comedy? Sheila Lintott Stand-up comedy has been largely ignored by analytic philosophers of art, including those interested in comedy and humor. This is somewhat surprising, given the immense popularity of stand-up comedy and the rock star status enjoyed by some comedians today. I suspect that philosophers are just as likely to enjoy stand-up comedy as anyone else; in some cases (i.e. for some philosophers and some comedians), probably more likely. Here I offer some reasons philosophers of art should take the time to consider stand-up comedy and possible explanation for why philosophers of art have paid far less attention to stand-up comedy than to other arts. Why should philosophers of art bother with stand-up comedy at all? There are two sorts of answers to this question. The first concerns the popularity and place of stand-up comedy in society today. Given the rock star status of many stand-up comedians and the respect afforded them for their insight into human nature and their no-holds-barred ethical critiques, it is a mistake for philosophers to ignore the affect they have on society as well as the insights and critiques they offer. (I return to consider the significance of this fact when I discuss why philosophers of art have neglected the art of stand-up comedy.) The second sort of answer, and the one I focus on here, concerns the philosophical issues raised by stand-up comedy as an art. Stand-up comedy offers a new context within which philosophers could explore and revisit some of the traditional issues in the philosophy of art, doing so may shed light on both the art of stand-up comedy and on the traditional issues themselves. For example, one traditional topic of philosophical investigation of art concerns theories of interpretation and the role that artistic intention plays in determining the meaning of a work of art. Stand-up comedy is among a small subset of performing arts that are and can't be other than live. Along with improvisation and performance art, stand-up comedy can't really be rehearsed. Memorizing a set for performance and reciting it in practice is quite unlike rehearsing one's line's for a play. Until the stand-up comedian is with and performing for an audience, they know little about the quality of their set. Ask a stand-up comedian how they know when a joke is funny and they'll tell you, "when the audience laughs." This fact about stand-up comedy shows how debates about intention and meaning in stand-up comedy may benefit from closer attention to the nature of the contributions toward meaning and value made by both the artist and the audience. This relates also to the importance of the audience and the artist's responsibility to their audience in stand-up comedy. Stand-up comedians gear their performances toward their particular audience, which is why we see so many stand-up comedians making reference to local people, places, and events when performing in a given environment. It's not just that they want to connect with the audience, which they do, b...

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