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Do you think the great philosophers were the 'stand up comics' of their day?

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OldMan&TheWeed

No I don't, but I do believe that if many of today's stand-up artists are not philosophers in the narrow sense, they are at least quite philosophical.

George Carlin opened up my mind as a teenager, as I'm sure he did millions of others of my generation. Today the tradition of the comedian that chalanges us to reconsider and re-examine long held ideas is live and well.

A good comedian, through lowering his audience's affective filters, can transmit ideas and sway people more effectively than most teachers, politicians, pundints, or even parents.

Comedians are more powerful than most people realize.

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Nintey-three percent of what I say is brilliant, factual information and seven percent is complete bullshit. Have fun deciding which is which.

SageTree

No

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~1~

Why not?

Much like the scriptures, there have been countless edits and re-tellings and interpretations.

Ever play a game called 'Purple Monkey Dishwasher' or "Pass it down' or 'I've got a secret' or whatever the fuck you called it as a kid? You start on one end with a word or phrase and one kid whispers it in the next kids ear and by the time you get to the end it's something completely different.

So how come we couldn't ponder the idea that our seers were jokesters and crack artists of their day. Those seem to be the people who are most willing to hold ourselves up and focus on the absurdity of us, to make us look into our self and see that if you try not to think too hard about it, nirvana (for lack of a better word) is at our finger tips...






Okay, maybe I should smoke a little less before I go posting

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SageTree

I didn't say we couldn't ponder it .... you just asked a question for me to answer.

There are some variables here for me I suppose.

What's a 'philosopher' and a 'comedian' in your perception?

What is a comedians philosophy of life?

How is making a philosophy comedic?

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~1~

Okay so maybe we are looking at two different things here, maybe I asked the question incorrectly.


How about, do you think there were 'stand up comics' back in the ancient times, were there people who used humor to convey a real message of life.


Perhaps I should be pondering why it is I have an easier time understanding a humorists view on things as they relate to my own...

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SageTree

I think there has always been a wiseguy sharing his laughs about life with others. 100%

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farmergiles

Socrates was pretty close to a stand up comedian according to Aristophanes The_Clouds although it is a caricature so may not be an accurate depiction of the real man.

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Cultivate a stoic calmness

OldMan&TheWeed

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Nintey-three percent of what I say is brilliant, factual information and seven percent is complete bullshit. Have fun deciding which is which.

The Rev

Standup comics are the great social critics, not philosophers, of our time. This makes sense, tho, since social criticism has often been in the form of satire. Thomas Nast's political cartoons come to mind as one example. Films like Dr. Strangelove are another. And, of course, we can't forget the two-headed monster of Stewart and Colbert.



The Rev

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Xil

i know a lot of yogis and sages would rather convey enlightenment through playing a joke on you (for there own amusement) then a dry discourse.

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Cerebro

a great philosopher was not necessarily a great communicator
in fact; having those two skills in one person would create quite a person
think on Caesar, the great orators, i'm quite sure all of them used humour well
i consider a great philosopher as someone able to simply convey and deconstruct, using words. it seems, as you suggest, that perhaps your poison is stand-up because it conveys to you.
maybe larry david can get you over the line for a while, coz he's pretty funny.

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