On Morreall: The Distinction Between Humor and Play (original) (raw)

This paper critiques John Morreall's argument regarding the relationship between humor and play. It identifies a conceptual mistake in claiming that contemporary humor stems directly from its evolutionary origins in play. The analysis is structured around four main areas of disagreement: the evolutionary paths of humor and play, their definitions and states of mind, the nature of amusement produced by each, and implications regarding language acquisition. Ultimately, the paper proposes a clearer distinction between the concepts of humor and play.