SOPHISTRY AND LAUGHTER CULTURE (METHODOLOGICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL ASPECTS)

Abstract

The authors believe that theoretical foundations of the study of the phenomenon of laughter, archetypes and leading forms of laughter culture were formed in the era of Ancient Greece. Explication of relevant discourses can be an important methodological part for the courses «Ancient Philosophy», «Ethnocultural and Sociocultural Dimensions of Laughter», «Philosophy of Laughter» and others taught at T. H. Shevchenko National University «Chernihiv Colehium». The article demonstrates the possibilities of Ancient Greek sophistic practices as a tool for analyzing and studying such forms of laughter as comedy and anecdote.

The purpose of the work: to analyze laughter discourse through the prism of Ancient Greek theories of laughter and sophistic methods of argumentation, in particular the principle of concept substitution, the use of double semantics of words, etc.

Methodology. The article uses analysis and synthesis to expound and systematize various aspects of the study of laughter culture through the prism of ancient philosophical discourse, in particular sophistic practices.

Scientific novelty. The article reveals the connection between ancient and later comic practices (including modern comedy) based on the analysis of sophistic practices of substitution of concepts, comical reduction of the meaning of words with double semantics.

Conclusions. As a result of the research, we came to the conclusion that there is much in common between sophistic and humorous discourse. In both variants, a deliberate mistake is made that does not have tragic consequences for the participants in the discourse. According to Aristotle’s classical definition of laughter, it can be caused by something false and ugly but harmless. Both sophistic rhetoric and forms of laughter culture make use of the double semantics of words and the method of substitution. While sophists substitute concepts, in the plots of comedies people, their roles, functions, situations, etc. are substituted. That is why, sophistic discourse can be considered as one that includes a laughter element in its composition. Sophisms can serve as a prism for studying laughter in such forms as comedy and anecdote.