“On Lying and Joking”
Location
Janet Ayers Academic Center, Room 4094
Presentation Type
Presentation
Start Date
25-9-2023 11:00 AM
Description
Most philosophers agree that there is a sharp distinction to be drawn between lying and joking, but many comedians are also celebrated as truth-tellers. Following Bernard Williams, philosophers tend to conceptualize lying as a thick notion, such that to call an action a lie is to both describe the action, and to evaluate it negatively. The ways that comedians lie and otherwise misrepresent the truth, however, suggests that the question of whether an action counts as a lie must be treated separately from questions about the action’s moral value. In contexts where it’s difficult to call attention to social ills and biases, the lies comedians tell can function to promote advances in cultural self-awareness that mere assertions, and factual reports, do not. This talk makes this case by appealing to recent real-world examples, then argues that it has implications for theories of lying, for theories of testimony, and for questions about the ethics and aesthetics of humor.
Recommended Citation
Olin, Lauren, "“On Lying and Joking”" (2023). Humanities Symposium. 19.
https://repository.belmont.edu/humanities_symposium/2023/2023/19
“On Lying and Joking”
Janet Ayers Academic Center, Room 4094
Most philosophers agree that there is a sharp distinction to be drawn between lying and joking, but many comedians are also celebrated as truth-tellers. Following Bernard Williams, philosophers tend to conceptualize lying as a thick notion, such that to call an action a lie is to both describe the action, and to evaluate it negatively. The ways that comedians lie and otherwise misrepresent the truth, however, suggests that the question of whether an action counts as a lie must be treated separately from questions about the action’s moral value. In contexts where it’s difficult to call attention to social ills and biases, the lies comedians tell can function to promote advances in cultural self-awareness that mere assertions, and factual reports, do not. This talk makes this case by appealing to recent real-world examples, then argues that it has implications for theories of lying, for theories of testimony, and for questions about the ethics and aesthetics of humor.
Comments
Featured Speaker
Convocation Credit: Intellectual Well-Being