Bergson on Laughter

The French Philosopher, Henri Bergson developed a theory on the human need for laughter.  The "comic"
throws light on the way human imagination works more particularly the social, collective and popular imagination. For Bergson comedy occurs when there is

• an absence of feeling
• a momentary amnesia of the heart.

In addition Bergson sets up a set of contrasts in order to establish a definition of comedy.  The comic should be contrasted with

• graceful rather than beauty
• the unsprightly rather the unsightly
• rigidness rather than ugliness

Note these have to with the comic person acting in the visible world.  The qualifiers, beauty, unsightliness and ugliness are values.  The comic for Bergson occurs  in "the deflection of life towards the mechanical. He notes that for any ceremony to become comic.

"it is enough that our attention be fixed on the ceremonial aspect rather its content.  We neglect its matter and think only of its form"

For Bergson comedy is something mechanical encrusted upon the living.


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Timo Laine has a useful summary of Bergson's theory
Tim Laine