Over the last few decades, the philosophy of comedy has begun to develop a set of specific questions that have provided a wealth of insights: for example, the ethics of jokes within social and political philosophy; or the incongruity theory of humor within epistemology; or the role of humor in healing and applied bio-ethics; or the cognitive difference between types of humor related to philosophy of mind and neurobiology. What was needed in the literature, and what LydiaAmir achieves in her new book, is a comprehensive view of humor that connects a variety of areas of philosophy in a framework. The conceptual framework that is introduced and developed by Amir is that of the Homo risibilis: not merely the human being as laughing, but the human being who understands their condition, sees the ridiculousness and humor within it, and then transcends that ridiculousness.

James, Christine (2019). Philosophy, Humor, and the Human Condition: Taking Ridicule Seriously. Book Reviews: Palgrave Macmillan. 1 electronic record (PDF).