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Laughing at Nothing: Humor as a Response to Nihilism
Explores the concept of nihilism and argues that it need not imply despair, but can be responded to positively.
Disputing the common misconception that nihilism is wholly negative and necessarily damaging to the human spirit, John Marmysz offers a clear and complete definition to argue that it is compatible, and indeed preferably responded to, with an attitude of good humor. He carefully scrutinizes the phenomenon of nihilism as it appears in the works, lives, and actions of key figures in the history of philosophy, literature, politics, and theology, including Nietzsche, Heidegger, Camus, and Mishima. While suggesting that there ultimately is no solution to the problem of nihilism, Marmysz proposes a way of utilizing the anxiety and despair that is associated with the problem as a spur toward liveliness, activity, and the celebration of life.
"Marmysz is original, insightful, and displays a keen knowledge of the typologies of nihilism, craftily tracing, among other things, the historical, existential, and political uses and misuses of the word. This is one of the best books I have read." — Weaver Santaniello, author of Nietzsche and the Gods
"Engagingly written, well-organized, and succinctly argued, this book shows how humor can bring the threat of nihilism into new, less disabling perspectives and teach us how to find affirmative, hopeful lessons in its outlook." — Donald A. Crosby, author of A Religion of Nature
Disputing the common misconception that nihilism is wholly negative and necessarily damaging to the human spirit, John Marmysz offers a clear and complete definition to argue that it is compatible, and indeed preferably responded to, with an attitude of good humor. He carefully scrutinizes the phenomenon of nihilism as it appears in the works, lives, and actions of key figures in the history of philosophy, literature, politics, and theology, including Nietzsche, Heidegger, Camus, and Mishima. While suggesting that there ultimately is no solution to the problem of nihilism, Marmysz proposes a way of utilizing the anxiety and despair that is associated with the problem as a spur toward liveliness, activity, and the celebration of life.
"Marmysz is original, insightful, and displays a keen knowledge of the typologies of nihilism, craftily tracing, among other things, the historical, existential, and political uses and misuses of the word. This is one of the best books I have read." — Weaver Santaniello, author of Nietzsche and the Gods
"Engagingly written, well-organized, and succinctly argued, this book shows how humor can bring the threat of nihilism into new, less disabling perspectives and teach us how to find affirmative, hopeful lessons in its outlook." — Donald A. Crosby, author of A Religion of Nature
209 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2003
15 people are currently reading
566 people want to read
About the author
John Marmysz
14 books82 followersJohn Marmysz holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from State University of New York at Buffalo. His primary research interests focus on the issue of nihilism and its cultural manifestations.
Marmysz is the author of The Nihilist's Notebook (Moralinefree Publishing, 1996), Laughing at Nothing: Humor as a Response to Nihilism (SUNY Press, 2003), The Path of Philosophy: Truth, Wonder and Distress (Cengage, 2011), The Nihilist: A Philosophical Novel (No Frills Buffalo, 2015), and Cinematic Nihilism: Encounters, Confrontations, Overcomings (Edinburgh University Press, 2017). He is coeditor (with Scott Lukas) of Fear, Cultural Anxiety and Transformation: Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Films Remade (Lexington Books, 2009). Marmysz has also written articles, reviews, and essays for a variety of magazines, journals, and collections. A second edition of The Path of Philosophy is forthcoming from Bloomsbury Academic in 2026.
"Writing about and researching the topic of nihilism helps me to remember how meaningless life really is. Running, motorcycling and listening to punk rock music helps me to forget," says Marmysz.
Marmysz is an associate editor for The Philosophy of Humor Yearbook (De Gruyter), is the recipient of a SUNY Chancellor's Award For Excellence in Scholarship and Creativity, and has served as an NEH fellow. He teaches philosophy at the College of Marin in Kentfield, CA.
Marmysz is the author of The Nihilist's Notebook (Moralinefree Publishing, 1996), Laughing at Nothing: Humor as a Response to Nihilism (SUNY Press, 2003), The Path of Philosophy: Truth, Wonder and Distress (Cengage, 2011), The Nihilist: A Philosophical Novel (No Frills Buffalo, 2015), and Cinematic Nihilism: Encounters, Confrontations, Overcomings (Edinburgh University Press, 2017). He is coeditor (with Scott Lukas) of Fear, Cultural Anxiety and Transformation: Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Films Remade (Lexington Books, 2009). Marmysz has also written articles, reviews, and essays for a variety of magazines, journals, and collections. A second edition of The Path of Philosophy is forthcoming from Bloomsbury Academic in 2026.
"Writing about and researching the topic of nihilism helps me to remember how meaningless life really is. Running, motorcycling and listening to punk rock music helps me to forget," says Marmysz.
Marmysz is an associate editor for The Philosophy of Humor Yearbook (De Gruyter), is the recipient of a SUNY Chancellor's Award For Excellence in Scholarship and Creativity, and has served as an NEH fellow. He teaches philosophy at the College of Marin in Kentfield, CA.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 25, 2008
I came to this book with some naive hopes that it would academically argue some of my personal philosophies. It didn't do exactly that, but it was a really clearly written and argued . Basically it gives a good overview of all the thinkers who would be classified as nihilists, what they argued, and why humor is a more useful response to the nihilistic world view than despair.
"If, as the nihilist claims, nothing that we do is ultimately very important, then it makes little sense to take things too seriously, even our own frustrations and failures. The humorous response to nihilism brings this insight forth and challenges nihilists to take their own world view to heart."
"If, as the nihilist claims, nothing that we do is ultimately very important, then it makes little sense to take things too seriously, even our own frustrations and failures. The humorous response to nihilism brings this insight forth and challenges nihilists to take their own world view to heart."
August 10, 2017
As we witness and experience this human condition called Life, we are presented with an irrational world, and human's search begins for order and certainty, and value and purpose, amidst the chaos that leads to a certain oblivion. It's ludicrous!
"Though nihilism has been relentlessly criticized for overemphasizing the dark side of human experience, it might be equally true that this overemphasis represents a needed counterbalance to shallow optimism and arrogant confidence in human power. Nihilism reminds us that we are not gods and that despite all of the accomplishments and wonders of civilization, humans cannot alter the fact that they possess only a finite amount of mastery and control over their own destinies."
"Though nihilism has been relentlessly criticized for overemphasizing the dark side of human experience, it might be equally true that this overemphasis represents a needed counterbalance to shallow optimism and arrogant confidence in human power. Nihilism reminds us that we are not gods and that despite all of the accomplishments and wonders of civilization, humans cannot alter the fact that they possess only a finite amount of mastery and control over their own destinies."
abandonados
September 8, 2021vo te que parar de ler pq ele ta todo mal configurado pro kindle, ta tudo fora de lugar kkkkkkk :(
March 5, 2022
When I was canceled on YouTube in 2019 and had hundreds of thousands of strangers attacking me, I was extremely depressed, but mostly, I was confused. I wanted to figure out what the hell was going on, and I came across this book. This book helped me tremendously, and since it’s been a couple of years, I decided I wanted to read it again to see if my perspective has changed at all and if there’s more I can learn from this book. And just like the first time, this book is as great as ever, and we’re still dealing with some of the issues this book lays out.
Lukianoff and Haidt lay out the three untruths that younger people suffer from, and from what I’ve seen, it’s quite a few adults as well. The untruths cover cognitive distortions that are going unchecked such as catastrophizing, black and white thinking, and more. When we consider words as harm and shut down conversations or topics in education, it fosters a culture of safetyism, and the book explains how this is a disservice to our children. I’d like to think that some of the topics they cover about freakouts and protests on college campuses have calmed down, but that may be an illusion due to the last two years of COVID.
I’m still a major skeptic about social media being one of the main drivers of mental health issues and other problems young people struggle with, but the book lays out strong arguments backed with some good research. If you’ve already read this book, I suggest giving it another read. And if you haven’t read it yet, you need to. These problems have been around for ages, but it’s never been this bad, and we need to start making a change in our households, at schools, and in our society in general.
Lukianoff and Haidt lay out the three untruths that younger people suffer from, and from what I’ve seen, it’s quite a few adults as well. The untruths cover cognitive distortions that are going unchecked such as catastrophizing, black and white thinking, and more. When we consider words as harm and shut down conversations or topics in education, it fosters a culture of safetyism, and the book explains how this is a disservice to our children. I’d like to think that some of the topics they cover about freakouts and protests on college campuses have calmed down, but that may be an illusion due to the last two years of COVID.
I’m still a major skeptic about social media being one of the main drivers of mental health issues and other problems young people struggle with, but the book lays out strong arguments backed with some good research. If you’ve already read this book, I suggest giving it another read. And if you haven’t read it yet, you need to. These problems have been around for ages, but it’s never been this bad, and we need to start making a change in our households, at schools, and in our society in general.
May 18, 2020
i wouldn't understand the thesis of the book if it wasn't repeated thousand times. gosh
May 4, 2022
“The difference between tragedy and comedy is not in essence one of subject matter, but depends upon our point of view”
Walter Kaufman. .
In “Laughing at nothing” book
John marmysz pursues certain aims mainly :
- to achieve a clear definition of Nihilism through reviewing the history of the very term.
- to analyze the premises upon which nihilism rely and from which the “nihilistic incongruity” arises :
1) They describe a circumstance of human alienation within the world.
(2) They make a normative claim that this circumstance is other than it ought to be.
(3) They claim that, ultimately, there is nothing we can do to change this circumstance.
- to prove that the state of despair and passivity is not necessarily accompany the nihilistic view of the world, but rather nihilistic view has also its positive attitude.
- Eventually to argue that humor is supposed to be the main response to the presumptions of nihilism, instead of seriousness and gloominess.
I admit that that book has given me a deeper view and subtler knowledge about nihilism as both a term and also as a philosophy, and I do appreciate that great work,especially, for the author’s notion about “humor as a response to nihilism”, personally, I’ve really enjoyed that part of the book giving me novel perspectives, in other words, new spectacles to wear in encountering such a world. However, on one hand, i agree with author on a lot of points, on other hand, on some points i can’t say that i agree, but instead may i argue.
May i argue about my main concern about the book as following:
In chapter 6
John Marmysz argues that “nihilistic incongruity” is useful and makes us progress, since nihilist’s longing for the ideals creates enthusiastic insight which makes us pursue, in a sense, the nearest form from the ultimate ideals. Thus according to Marmysz,
For instance, if you are, as a nihilist, longing for the absolute form of happiness- which it is inevitably out of reach- that longing, according to Marmysz, will make you pursue and struggle to achieve the most possible form of happiness in our world, thus that is the positive aspect of nihilism.
I argue that, in this argument, Marmysz makes unjustified assumption that we have already known how the ideals look like.
Because if you, for example, longing to be the best swimmer in the world, you actually already get the idea and the characteristics by which the best swimmer characterized.
So you have an idea which path you have to go along to achieve such a goal, in contrast, in the case of ideals, we actually do not know what is the absolute Goodness, truth, or anything such infinite ideals we long for, so how can we find the path along which we will be granted to achieve the nearest form of that ideal.
It doesn’t make sense to me.
Quotes
“With failure we are taught that sometimes what we want makes no difference, and this is lesson that serves to imbue us with a modicum of maturity, humility and modesty”
“According to nietzsche, the culture and conventions of society, along with all of its other accomplishments and pleasures, are ultimately understood as attempts by the group to distract its members from the fact that all earthly achievements are doomed to dissolution and decay”
“When we are too serious, we concern ourselves only with reaching solutions and final understandings of things. We become invested in unraveling some mystery, or in solving some problem at the cost of other equally important commitments”
Walter Kaufman. .
In “Laughing at nothing” book
John marmysz pursues certain aims mainly :
- to achieve a clear definition of Nihilism through reviewing the history of the very term.
- to analyze the premises upon which nihilism rely and from which the “nihilistic incongruity” arises :
1) They describe a circumstance of human alienation within the world.
(2) They make a normative claim that this circumstance is other than it ought to be.
(3) They claim that, ultimately, there is nothing we can do to change this circumstance.
- to prove that the state of despair and passivity is not necessarily accompany the nihilistic view of the world, but rather nihilistic view has also its positive attitude.
- Eventually to argue that humor is supposed to be the main response to the presumptions of nihilism, instead of seriousness and gloominess.
I admit that that book has given me a deeper view and subtler knowledge about nihilism as both a term and also as a philosophy, and I do appreciate that great work,especially, for the author’s notion about “humor as a response to nihilism”, personally, I’ve really enjoyed that part of the book giving me novel perspectives, in other words, new spectacles to wear in encountering such a world. However, on one hand, i agree with author on a lot of points, on other hand, on some points i can’t say that i agree, but instead may i argue.
May i argue about my main concern about the book as following:
In chapter 6
John Marmysz argues that “nihilistic incongruity” is useful and makes us progress, since nihilist’s longing for the ideals creates enthusiastic insight which makes us pursue, in a sense, the nearest form from the ultimate ideals. Thus according to Marmysz,
For instance, if you are, as a nihilist, longing for the absolute form of happiness- which it is inevitably out of reach- that longing, according to Marmysz, will make you pursue and struggle to achieve the most possible form of happiness in our world, thus that is the positive aspect of nihilism.
I argue that, in this argument, Marmysz makes unjustified assumption that we have already known how the ideals look like.
Because if you, for example, longing to be the best swimmer in the world, you actually already get the idea and the characteristics by which the best swimmer characterized.
So you have an idea which path you have to go along to achieve such a goal, in contrast, in the case of ideals, we actually do not know what is the absolute Goodness, truth, or anything such infinite ideals we long for, so how can we find the path along which we will be granted to achieve the nearest form of that ideal.
It doesn’t make sense to me.
Quotes
“With failure we are taught that sometimes what we want makes no difference, and this is lesson that serves to imbue us with a modicum of maturity, humility and modesty”
“According to nietzsche, the culture and conventions of society, along with all of its other accomplishments and pleasures, are ultimately understood as attempts by the group to distract its members from the fact that all earthly achievements are doomed to dissolution and decay”
“When we are too serious, we concern ourselves only with reaching solutions and final understandings of things. We become invested in unraveling some mystery, or in solving some problem at the cost of other equally important commitments”
April 4, 2019
The main argument of the book is that nihilism doesn't always have to lead to despair but it can be used as a force for progress. It argues that for the nihilist everything is meaningless and devoid of value because the nihilist holds such high standards in life. As the nihilist's ideals of goodness, perfection,etc can't be achieved in life, this leads to a nihilistic incongruity that need not lead to a negative attitude in life. This incongruity can lead the nihilist to try get as close as he can to his ideals making nihilism a force that pushes the world forward. The author also talks about the relation between humor and nihilism, he argues that a humorous response to the nihilistic incongruity decreases the negative feelings associated with it. As nothing has meaning, then even our fears and existential dread are meaningless in the greater scheme of thing. So a humorous response to life's problems allows us to see more clearly as it dissipates our negative feelings.
November 18, 2018
Coherent writing, easy to read. 4/5
May 9, 2021
Though book seems repetitive at times, the first part was very enlightening for me. Must read for anyone struggling with meaninglessness.
August 24, 2023
"you're gonna be sad but happy about it."
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews