ABSTRACT
While there is a growing literature on issues in the philosophy of humor, there has been comparatively little work on philosophical issues in the philosophy of comedy. Richard Richards (2013) distinguishes between humor and comedy. Richards does not require that comedy be an artistic performance—although varieties, such as stand-up, are included in the extension of the term because their job is to make people laugh. Professional comedians are comedians who do it for a living, but anyone can be a comedian at any time, according to Richards. Humorists, on the other hand, are those who construct, tell, or appreciate jokes. Some comedians are humorists, according to Richards, but not all. Essential to the difference between humor and comedy is that comedy is performed in a space dedicated to the performance in which there is an audience.
