Paraphrasing Martin Heidegger, we might say that the essence of humor is nothing humorous; it is, rather, the separation, variously called “time,” “self-consciousness,” “critique” or “crisis,” of the I from itself and from the world it lives in. When humor responds to a crisis, it reverts back to its own essence, launching a tacit critique that retraces the divisions and contradictions from which the crisis has erupted. But while the essence of humor is nothing humorous, this should not prevent us from having a good, hearty laugh.

¶ 10:37 AM