ABSTRACT
A substantial body of moral doctrine on that topic came from Aristotle and Cicero, and was codified by Quintilian. Doctors explained the physiology of laughter. Throughout the Renaissance laughter was treated as a medical problem and was discussed in many a medical treatise. Quintilian valued laughter highly in the legal orator: Demosthenes is criticized for having had a poor sense of humour, while Cicero is praised for having a good one. Unfortunately, laughter is often aroused by lies and distortions. Laughter can be aroused by actions, words, or touch. Cicero probed deeply into the causes of laughter when he held that laughter arises from our perception of deformity and ugliness. The consensus amongst Renaissance Aristotelians, who also followed Cicero, is that laughter is indeed provoked by the ugliness of which Quintilian spoke. Laughter for Socrates was a mixed emotion, at least among the wise.
