Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!mcdchg!chinet!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!nrl-cmf!ames!decwrl!labrea!csli!rustcat
From: rustcat@csli.STANFORD.EDU (Vallury Prabhakar)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: Artificial intelligence and laughter
Keywords: laughter
Message-ID: <6171@csli.STANFORD.EDU>
Date: 29 Oct 88 20:50:12 GMT
References: <448@soleil.UUCP> <1620@hp-sdd.HP.COM>
Reply-To: rustcat@csli.UUCP (Vallury Prabhakar)
Organization: Stanford University
Lines: 10


Arthur Koestler (Ghost in the Machine, Act of Creation, etc..) suggests that
humour may also be found in any situation that has the "bisociation" 
characteristic.  He defines bisociation to be the forceful merging of two
situations that (to our mind) are incompatible.  Almost all form of cartoons
have this incompatibility as the fundamental precept.  The Act of Creation goes
into much more detail and is a rather unique approach to laughter.  


							-- Vallury