Announcements, updates, and happenings from the Lighthearted Philosophers' Society
19th Annual Conference a Success!
Thank you to everyone who attended our 19th Annual Lighthearted Philosophers'
Conference at the Intercontinental Hotel in New Orleans! We had an outstanding
gathering featuring an Author Meets Critics session on Wilk and Gimbel's
In On the Joke: The Ethics of Humor and Comedy, lively panel discussions,
and engaging debates.
The conference brought together scholars from across the country to explore
topics ranging from Dave Chappelle to universal funniness, continuing our
tradition of combining rigorous philosophical inquiry with genuine merriment.
Thank you to everyone who attended our 18th Annual Lighthearted Philosophers'
Conference at Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, FL. We had an
outstanding lineup of presentations exploring philosophy of humor and
humorous philosophy.
Special thanks to our organizers Sophia A. Stone, Andrew Aberdein, and
Thomas Brommage for making this event possible.
The executive officers of the LPS were devastated to hear about the sudden death of
Grant Julin, Professor of Philosophy at St. Francis University, current President
of the Lighthearted Philosophers' Society, and a long-standing member of our organization.
Those of you who attended our last conference will vividly remember his beautifully presented
and thoughtful opening panel memorializing comedian Norm MacDonald.
Grant's contributions to our organization long preceded his presidency. We're all familiar with
his Richards prize-winning heckles—including his commentary presented as a stand-up routine,
and his memorable mock children's book. As a scholar of humor, he always delightfully expressed
hard-hitting, rigorous philosophical commentary in a way that would make you laugh so hard that
you cried. We could always count on him for excellent conversation at conferences—both during
the sessions, as well as our evenings together. Grant always made a point to enjoy his time with
us to its fullest.
As LPS President, despite the fact that he'd only been in the office a short time, he had already
made strides to expand the social media presence of the organization, including managing the
organization's Twitter account. Grant was always willing to be a resource to colleagues in the
organization.
"The work of love in recollecting one who is dead is thus a work of the most unselfish,
the freest, and the most faithful love . . . [R]ecollect the one who is dead and just in
this way learn to love the living unselfishly."
Member Publications
Congratulations to our members who have published new work in philosophy
of humor! Our community continues to make significant contributions to
this growing field.
If you've published work that you'd like us to highlight, please
let us know.
