Mathematics and Humor

126 Pages·1980·1.451 MB·English

by  John Allen Paulos

Mathematics
and Humor

John Allen
Paulos
Mathematics
and Humor
The University of Chicago Press
Chicago and London
The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637
The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London
e 1980 by The University of Chicago
All rights reserved. Published 1980
Paperback edition 1982
Printed in the United States of America
0908 10 1112
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Paulos, John Allen.
Mathematics and humor.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1. Wit and humor-Philosophy. 1. Title.
PN6149.P5P3 801'.957 80-12742
ISBN 0-226-65025-1
@ The paper used in this publication meets the
minimum requirements of the American National
Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper
for Printed Library Materials,ANSI Z39.48-1992.
To the
memory of
Abraham
Schwimmer

Contents 1M athematics 2 Axioms, Levels,
and Humor and Iteration
1 19
3 4
Self-Reference Humor,
and Paradox Grammar, and
41 Philosophy
57
5 6
A Catastrophe Odds and
Theory Model of the End
Jokes and Humor 101
75
References 109 Index 113

Mathematics The Talmud says, "Begin a lesson with a humorous illustra
tion." This is especially apt here, since discussions of humor
and Humor are often ponderous and grim, and since this one, though of
a quite different sort, is not altogether an exception. A friend
of mine-a mathematician, incidentally-recently completed
a speed-reading course, and he noted this in a letter to his
mother. His mother responded with a long, chatty letter in
the middle of which she wrote, "Now that you've taken that
speed-reading course, you've probably already finished read
ing this letter." What this illustrates about my friend's mother
may be clearer than what it illustrates about mathematics
and humor, but then I have a whole book to explain the
latter.
A good way to begin that explanation is to provide a very
brief sampling of what philosophers, psychologists, writers,
and critics have said in attempting to come to an understand
ing of humor-hence the following chronology.
Classical writers on humor and laughter considered them
base and ignoble. Aristotle, who devoted many pages of his
Poetics to tragedy, had relatively little to say about comedy
(at least relatively little that has survived). He wrote, "Com
1 edy, as we have said, is a representation of inferior people,