The Mechanics of Laughter

 While it's often said that laughter is the best medicine, as per its association with joy, Descartes disagrees and adds is own, purely rationalist analysis of laughter. The Cartesian reasons for laughter are, at their core, physical. He categorically defines the reason for laughter as the biological response to a trigger. Whether it be wonder or drunkenness, Descartes' methods are pragmatic and uncreative. An arbiter of authority himself, his philosophy tries to account for mechanical, rational catalyst to humanity's most effective supposed cure-all.


It worked wonders for Jayden and I. Jayden is in the ninth grade, would love to play high school football, and, coincidentally has a hand drawn Kermit the Frog screensaver for Zoom. It was funny, so naturally I laughed. Perhaps it was out of the Cartesian wonder or amazement as it was certainly not a result of any form of  intoxication, my laughter was infectious and immediately spread to Jayden. We worked on a summary piece for the Historic Plessy vs. Ferguson case, in observance of Black History Month. English being my strong suite, we had the piece done in no time, but the ease by which we accomplished the task was in small part an effect of how we bonded over that initial laughter: a result of my wonder. 

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