Comedy, tragedy, and religion have been intertwined since ancient Greece, where comedy and tragedy arose as religious rituals. This groundbreaking book analyzes the worldviews of tragedy and comedy, and compares each with the world's major religions. Morreall contrasts the tragic and comic along twenty psychological and social dimensions and uses these to analyze both Eastern and Western traditions.

Although no religion embodies a purely tragic or comic vision of life, some are mostly tragic and others mostly comic. In Eastern religions, Morreall finds no robust tragic vision but does...

This book assesses the adequacy of the traditional theories of laughter and humor, suggests revised theories, and explores such areas as the aesthetics and ethics of humor, and the relation of amusement to other mental states.

Theories of laughter and humor originated in ancient times with the view that laughter is an expression of feelings of superiority over another person. This superiority theory was held by Plato, Aristotle, and Hobbes. Another aspect of laughter, noted by Aristotle and Cicero and neglected until Kant and Schopenhauer developed it into the incongruity theory, is that...

Comic Relief: A Comprehensive Philosophy of Humor develops an inclusive theory that integrates psychological, aesthetic, and ethical issues relating to humor

• Offers an enlightening and accessible foray into the serious business of humor
• Reveals how standard theories of humor fail to explain its true nature and actually support traditional prejudices against humor as being antisocial, irrational, and foolish
• Argues that humor's benefits overlap significantly with those of philosophy
• Includes a foreword by Robert Mankoff, Cartoon Editor of The New...

50 Great Myths about Religions is an intriguing, informative, and often humorous introduction to some of the long standing myths that surround religious belief. This engaging book will get its readers thinking about how and why certain myths have arisen, and their continuing influence on our personal and collective view of religion.

Offers a lively, informative, and thought-provoking introduction to some of the common misbeliefs surrounding religions

• Discusses myths about religious belief in general, as well as specific ideas that surround Judaism,...

50 Great Myths about Religions is an intriguing, informative, and often humorous introduction to some of the long standing myths that surround religious belief. This engaging book will get its readers thinking about how and why certain myths have arisen, and their continuing influence on our personal and collective view of religion.

Offers a lively, informative, and thought-provoking introduction to some of the common misbeliefs surrounding religions

• Discusses myths about religious belief in general, as well as specific ideas that surround Judaism,...

Questions for Christians: The Surprising Truths behind Basic Beliefs asks whether or not Christians today have gotten Jesus message right, drawing on the Bible and the history of Christianity for answers. From the gender of God to what happens when we die, Questions for Christians digs into some of the thorniest points of the Christian faith questions that many people would rather ignore. Most Christians today believe in just wars, but how do we reconcile this belief with Jesus saying Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also, or the pacifism...