Mathematics and Humor: A Study of the Logic of Humor [Paperback]

John Allen Paulos (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 1982

John Allen Paulos cleverly scrutinizes the mathematical structures of jokes, puns, paradoxes, spoonerisms, riddles, and other forms of humor, drawing examples from such sources as Rabelais, Shakespeare, James Beattie, René Thom, Lewis Carroll, Arthur Koestler, W. C. Fields, and Woody Allen.

"Jokes, paradoxes, riddles, and the art of non-sequitur are revealed with great perception and insight in this illuminating account of the relationship between humor and mathematics."—Joseph Williams, New York Times

"'Leave your mind alone,' said a Thurber cartoon, and a really complete and convincing analysis of what humour is might spoil all jokes forever. This book avoids that danger. What it does. . .is describe broadly several kinds of mathematical theory and apply them to throw sidelights on how many kinds of jokes work."—New Scientist

"Many scholars nowadays write seriously about the ludicrous. Some merely manage to be dull. A few—like Paulos—are brilliant in an odd endeavor."—Los Angeles Times Book Review

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Mathematics and Humor is an original, sophisticated, and scholarly treatment of the logic and mathematics of humor. -- Joseph Ercolano, Library Journal, 1980

Many scholars nowadays write seriously about the ludicrous. Some merely manage to be dull. A few - like Paulos - are brilliant in an odd endeavor. -- Harvey Mindess, Los Angeles Times Book Review, 1980

Paulos's writing is unpretentious and his approach is unorthodox and fresh." -- Douglas Hofstadter, New York Times Book Review, 1980 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Author

In the book I i} explore the operations and structures common to humor and the formal sciences (logic, mathematics, and linguistics), ii) show how various notions from these sciences provide formal analogues for different sorts of jokes and joke schema, and iii) develop a mathematical model of jokes (joke schema) using ideas from "catastrophe theory". In accomplishing this I discuss self- reference, recursivity, axioms, logical levels, non-standard models, transformational grammar, and several "mathematical" (in an extended sense) ideas. Relevant psychological and philosophical matters are discussed and provide a matrix for both the technical development and for the jokes. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 124 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press (November 15, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226650251
• ISBN-13: 978-0226650258
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 7.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #444,498 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars serious study of jokes and their mathematical structure, July 31, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Mathematics and Humor: A Study of the Logic of Humor (Paperback)

Given the book's title I was surprised at its contents. It contains a lot of very good jokes, to be sure, but it is a serious study of the mathematical structure of certain kinds of jokes. The introductory discussion of the history of ideas about humor was particularly valuable. Very satisfying read!

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mathematics and Humor is no joke, January 30, 2005

By 

T. Sparfeld (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mathematics and Humor: A Study of the Logic of Humor (Paperback)

I wanted this book for two reasons--first, I read the Paulos' best selling book, Innumeracy, and second, I like both of the subjects.

Paulos begins with a brief chapter on definitions of humor by historical philosophers and writers. It's pretty interesting--what is it that makes something funny? His second chapter uses some mathematical and logical examples to help approximate what is going on in most examples of humor.

Paulos' main thesis seems to be that the most common example of humor deals with setting up the unexpected incongruity. One of his examples is great. A perverted old man leers at a young virgin girl and says, "What goes in dry and hard, yet comes out soft and wet?" The girl blushes. The old man replies, "Chewing gum." In this example, the joke implied axioms (answers to his question) which were quite different than his chewing gum answer. The greater this incongruity is, the better the punchline (which is why sexual connotations are often found funny).

Other chapters discuss variations on this theme, culminating in a theory of catastrophe involving dogs and the model for whether they will fight or run away when confronted. It's quite interesting.

I really enjoyed the book, and found it to be quite thought-provoking. Paulos does a great job of explaining many tough mathematical concepts, including Gödel's Theorem. I didn't fully understand Thom's Theorem at the end, but that's okay. One thing to be aware of is that the book is short and leaves you wanting more.

I think anybody interested in math will find this book entertaining, even if they're not particularly excited by humor. I do think interest in mathematics is requisite to enjoy this book, however.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting take on two subjects, November 13, 2001

By 

"droppy" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mathematics and Humor: A Study of the Logic of Humor (Paperback)

One thing that most people will appreciate in this book is a better understanding of their mathematics professor's strange sense of humor. I agree with the author that most mathematicians do show a certain, recognizable style of humor. He goes on to explain the ways that mathematical reasoning resembles, and therefore illuminates humor. This book provides an entertaining introduction to mathematical concepts and theory. I'm not sure that I would recommend it as highly on the other side--to comedians. This is more of a philosopher's approach to humor.