CUT TO THE CHEESE – REPLY TO SPIEGEL'S ‘WHY FLATULENCE IS FUNNY’.

In number 35 of Think, James Spiegel presents reasons for why flatulence is funny. In this article I will address five issues that I find problematic in his account: (1)His claim that laughter always results from a pleasant psychological shift is false.(2)His argumentative move from what makes paradigm cases funny to what makes flatulence funny is unwarranted.(3)His notion of a psychological shift is not specific enough and lacks explanatory power.(4)The claim that funniness of flatulence involves superiority is doubtful.(5)His talk about ‘nervous energy’ is questionable and has implausible implications. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]