Thomas Hobbes Quote - Genevieve Rodriguez

The Thomas Hobbes quote was my favorite quote because it makes me think about what laughter really is and why we laugh. When I first read this quote, the first reaction I had was that laughter is not a nice gesture. He describes laughter as “sudden glory” and it is casued by “the apprehension of some deformed thing in another, by comparison wherof they suddenly applaud themselves.” What I got from that is that people glorify themselves by noticing the negative things in other people. He also says that laughter is caused by “some sudden act of their own that pleaseth them” and that most of them are conscious of the “fewest abilities in themselves.” What Hobbes might have meant by that sudden act may be that peple laugh when other people make mistakes, but they should also laugh at themselves when they make mistakes. He says that people compare the defects of other people so that they can “applaud” themselves. He goes on to say that people are forced to observe the imperfections of other men so that they themselves can be in favor of themselves, and that when people are always laughing at the defects of others, they are pusillanimous, or cowardly. This is very true. Most comedians are people who are making themselves “funny” because they are putting down or making fun of other people, and in turn they become famous and are glorified. When bullies in school pick on other children, they are trying to make themselves feel better about themselves and the things that they do are funny to them. Hobbes ends his quote by stating that “for of great minds one of the proper works is to thelp and free others from scron, and compare themselves only with the most able.” To me, this means that great people do not laugh at others, but try to help them and free them from their disdain. Great people only compare themselves with the “most able,” meaning that instead of looking at how great they are and looking at others’ defects, they look to their goals and compare themselves with great people who they want to be like. This was my favorite quote because Hobbes puts a different spin on the act of laughter, and no one ever really notices that they are making fun of others when they laugh, but it is very true.