I teach 'Theory of Knowledge'. That's part of my job description now. We have many questions that count as TOK questions. Epistemological questions, ethical questions, ontological questions, the works. For once, though, I have a very strong TOK answer rather than a TOK question. The question is, "Can I explain humour?" The answer is 'no'. Discussing existentialism in class, I naturally spoke about René Descartes and his famous 'I think, therefore I am.' Very stupidly, I decided to tell a joke as well about how Descartes walked into McDonald's and ordered a burger. "Do you want fries with that?" asked the waiter. "I think not," replied René, and he disappeared. I waited for smiles, chuckles, or at least some measure of comprehension. Blank faces. Even more foolishly, I explained the joke. Some shrugs. So, how is that funny anyway? That was the unspoken response.I had no answer. … [Read more...]