Almost every major figure in the history of philosophy has proposed a theory, but after two centuries of discussion there has been little consensus on what constitutes humor. The topic of humor is currently undervalued in the discipline of philosophy. Scope and significance of the study of humor but are the three main theories (Aaron). The three main mechanisms that create laughter are the superiority theory, the relief theory, and the incongruity theory. To begin with, the theory of superiority is the idea that a person laughs at the misfortunes of others. We feel superior to the object we are joking about. This theory dates back to the 5th century BC, when Plato expressed to his people the idea that jokes should be removed from stories about the gods before they are introduced to children. Plato's idea was that if children were the muse of the gods, they would feel superior and therefore lose respect (jrank). As I read this, I can imagine where he was coming from with that idea. In those times prayer and respect for the gods were very important. Centuries later, Thomas Hobbes made more clear the idea that humor is an expression of superiority. He defines it as "the sudden glory that arises from the sudden idea of ​​ourselves, compared to the lesser of others." A common form of superiority is when a person slips on a banana peel and people around them start laughing because they feel superior (jrank). Then there is the incongruity theory, one of the oldest and most developed theories of humor. known by Kant, that humor occurs when there is an inconsistency between what we expect and what actually happens, e.g. cruelty, a breach of contract or a bad instrument. In the ear… in the middle of the paper… and in the action someone is doing something funny to get a reaction. In both cases, you need to have an idea for the opinion of others or to evoke an emotion. On stage, when doing a parody, characters have to release everything they hold inside to play that character's best position, similar to releasing any tension in that joke or punchline. Works Cited "5 Major Theories on Why We Laugh? And the Jokes That Prove Us Wrong." Slate Magazine. Np, nd Web. 21 February 2014. "Humor - Superiority Theory - Laughter, Philosopher, Idea and Hutcheson - JRank Articles." Encyclopedia of Science - JRank Articles. Np, nd Web. 20 February 2014. "Humor [Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy]." Encyclopedia of philosophy on the Internet. Np, nd Web. 21 February 2014. Smuts, Aaron. “Humor [Encyclopedia of Philosophy on the Internet].” Encyclopedia of philosophy on the Internet. Np, nd Web. 22 February. 2014.