Humor and Self-Righteousness

"Humor is the twinkle in the eye of a just judge, who knows that he is also the felon in the dock."

Basically, the virtue of humor is the ability to understand even your worst enemies. Is this just a form of cynicism?

The self-righteousness turns humor into scarcasm. Irony can be humorous without being hostile because as the quote suggests the just judge can also empathize with the felon in the dock. I don't know where cynicism fits in all this.

I don't see where self-righteousness come in. Self-righteous people tend to be the most humorless folks I know.

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Originally Posted by AuntShecky

I don't see where self-righteousness come in. Self-righteous people tend to be the most humorless folks I know.

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I am very self-righteous and have a lot of humor when my dear Seal Team 6 makes arses go up in flames.
There are about 165 USA nuclear submarines patrolling the oceans. Have you ever taken a look at the immense humor they display?

the origin of cynicism comes from ancient greece, where the Cynics valued only the pursuit of virtue by means of a simple and unmaterialistic way of life. this is precisely what the judge advocates, realizing that life is just a game and at any moment he could be the accused rather than the accuser. it's a simple and unmaterialistic perception of reality.

this form of cynicism is the a loving form, one that reduces human conflicts through understanding. war wouldn't really be an issue if everyone tried to understand where their enemies were coming from. there would certainly be arguments, but there would be a cap at which moral violence would not exceed (bombing each other to oblivion).

I usually think of cynics as being cynical, which might be closer to sarcastic than ironical. I see you are bringing in perhaps the original idea of the word.

Non-sarcastic humor seems more empathetic than cynical.

Diogenes, the founder of Cynicsm, appears to have had a sense of humor. He lived in a barrel, and ate nothing but lentils. One day, his philopher friend Aristippus said to him, "If you would learn to flatter the king, you would not have to live in a barrel and eat nothing but lentils."

"And it you would learn to live in a barrel and eat nothing but lentils," replied Diogenes, "You would not have to flatter the king."

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Originally Posted by Ecurb

Diogenes, the founder of Cynicsm, appears to have had a sense of humor. He lived in a barrel, and ate nothing but lentils. One day, his philopher friend Aristippus said to him, "If you would learn to flatter the king, you would not have to live in a barrel and eat nothing but lentils."

"And it you would learn to live in a barrel and eat nothing but lentils," replied Diogenes, "You would not have to flatter the king."

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Thank you for quoting that. I think it speaks levels to how important a virtue humor is.

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Originally Posted by hypatia_

the origin of cynicism comes from ancient greece, where the Cynics valued only the pursuit of virtue by means of a simple and unmaterialistic way of life. this is precisely what the judge advocates, realizing that life is just a game and at any moment he could be the accused rather than the accuser. it's a simple and unmaterialistic perception of reality.

this form of cynicism is the a loving form, one that reduces human conflicts through understanding.

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Why does the word "cynic" come from the Greek word for dog?

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Originally Posted by Ecurb

Diogenes, the founder of Cynicsm, appears to have had a sense of humor. He lived in a barrel, and ate nothing but lentils. One day, his philopher friend Aristippus said to him, "If you would learn to flatter the king, you would not have to live in a barrel and eat nothing but lentils."

"And it you would learn to live in a barrel and eat nothing but lentils," replied Diogenes, "You would not have to flatter the king."

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If, after a meal of lentils, Diogenes had an audience with the King, he must've been a barrel o' laughs. It would have been like the classical Greek version of the campfire scene in Blazing Saddles.

what is the greek word for dog?

Here are a couple of competing explanations for the derivation of the term:

http://www.iep.utm.edu/cynics/#H1