Yi-Fu Tuan Dear Colleague

August 5, 2004

Dear Colleague,

A sense of humor is unique to the species, yet rare among its members. The Brits are reputed to have it to a greater degree than, say, the French and the Spaniards, who (I am told) have no word for it. Wit is more common and differs from humor in that it is sharper, more aggressive. Wit is out to win, to put someone down, whereas humor is out to amuse and subtly enlighten. I imagine someone with a sense of humor to be well-padded, like John Bull, and someone of wit to have a "lean and hungry look," like Voltaire.

True believers have no sense of humor whatsoever, which is a reason why I find them so unattractive. Consider a cartoon in The New Yorker, published a few months ago. It is part of the magazine' s "cave man" series. Each cartoon in the series shows our ancestors, the cave people, in some funny situation. The one I have in mind shows a robust, half-naked cave man, holding a heavy club in one hand and with the other dragging by the hair his prone, strangely content victim and potential mate. In the background, a couple-man and woman-stood in front of their cave and viewed the passing mating scene in strong disapproval. What did they disapprove of? Well, the victim spouted a beard! Ardent feminists will see nothing funny in a cartoon the humor of which depends on our awareness that the bludgeoned mate is supposed to be a woman. Gay activists will protest that an already victimized group is being made fun of. And Bible-thumping citizens will feel that their own way of life and attitude, as represented by the smug couple in the background, is under attack.

Humor comes out of an awareness of incongruity. It is itself a subtle form of thinking and promotes further thinking: as the smile fades the serious business of analysis can start. That's why humor is eminently suitable in a philosopher. Yet not many philosophers have it, the notable exceptions being Socrates and Sidney Morgenbesser, a Columbia professor who died this week. Here are three examples of his sense of humor, although I have to admit that the first and most widely quoted example is more a display of wit. Distinguished British philosopher, J. L. Austin, spoke at Columbia and made the point that although two negatives make a positive, nowhere is it the case that two positives make a negative. "Yeah, yeah," Morgenbesser commented in exaggerated Yiddish accent. The second example occurred during the 1970s when young Americans in prestigious universities were enthralled by Maoism. A student asked Morgenbesser if he disagreed with Chairman Mao' s assertion that a proposition can be true or false at the same time. The professor replied: "I do and I don' t." Finally, a few weeks before his death, he asked another Columbia professor about God. "Why is God making me suffer so much?" he asked. "Just because I don' t believe in him?" (The New York Times, August 4, 2004).

Best wishes,

Yi-Fu