We explore what’s philosophically interesting about comedy. Both have a lot in common: showing up the ordinary as odd, critiquing the status quo, hecklers… But can humour be a source of knowledge?

What does it tell us about how we interact with one another? What role does it play in our social and political life? And will we ruin the joke by explaining it?!

Meet our speakers and chair

Robert Newman (@mrrobnewman) is a comedian and author.

Kieran Setiya (@KieranSetiya) is Professor of Philosophy at MIT.

Zoe Walker is Lecturer in Philosophy at Magdalene College, Cambridge.

Sarah Fine (@DrSJFine) is Fellow at the Forum for Philosophy at LSE and Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at King’s College London.

More about this event

The Forum for Philosophy (@forumphilosophy) hosts events exploring science, politics, and culture from a philosophical perspective.

Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSEForum

Podcast & Video

A podcast of this event is available to download from The Importance Of Not Being Earnest.

A video of this event is available to watch at The Importance Of Not Being Earnest.

Podcasts and videos of many LSE events can be found at the LSE Public Lectures and Events: podcasts and videos channel.