Laughter

The French philosopher Henri Bergson, in his essay "Laughter," proposed that the comic arises from a mechanical element encrusted on the living. He believed that laughter serves to correct individuals who lack adaptability to society, essentially waking them from their "dream" of going their own way. Bergson identified three conditions for the comic: the character must be unsociable, the spectator must be emotionally detached, and the character must act automatically, citing Don Quixote as an example.1

Bergson argued that comedy focuses on general peculiarities rather than individual traits, aiming to correct tendencies that might cause a person to deviate from social norms. Laughter, in this view, represses any individual inclination to separate from society. This contrasts with tragedy, which Bergson saw as concerned with individuals, while comedy deals with classes.1