The Good Life I: Joy, Happiness, Timelessness

Abstract

This chapter discloses the radicality of Homo risibilis, the liberation it brings about and the personal benefits that ensue. It compares this world-view with contemporary theories of laughter, philosophies of tragic joy and views of happiness. It evaluates the paths to harmony open to a con-flictual being in a world of discordance and the viability of the kind of joy tragic philosophies propose. It criticizes contemporary theories that define well-being without drawing from a lucid and sobering view of the human condition. The chapter concludes with the argument that Homo risibilis changes our relation to time through the feeling of timelessness that accompanies the happiness it enables, thus rivaling the promises given by redemptive philosophies and religions.