1. THESIS ONE
Digital Absurdity
Michael Silber | Professor Tom Klinkowstein
Michael Silber | Directed Research | Professor Tom Klinkowstein

2. “Nothing in man is more
serious than his sense of
humor; it is the sign that
he wants all the truth.”
-Mark Van Doren
Michael Silber | Directed Research | Professor Tom Klinkowstein

3. Hypothesis
This thesis presents the hypothesis
that humor emerges from the
incongruities of digital experience.
Digital platforms present
unintentional juxtapositions and
provide a means for intentional
interventions, which reward active
thinkers with feelings of mirth.
Michael Silber | Directed Research | Professor Tom Klinkowstein

4. Hypothesis Continued
Such a hypothesis suggests that
the scanning behavior associated
with digital media and “continuous
partial attention,” has created
a digital culture that celebrates
humorous absurdities and
promotes divergent, associative,
and syncretic thinking.
Michael Silber | Directed Research | Professor Tom Klinkowstein

5. Michael Silber | Directed Research | Professor Tom Klinkowstein

6. What is Humor?
A Tickling of the Mind.
- Charles Darwin
A Mixture of Joy and Shock.
- Rene Descartes
A Sudden Glory.
- Thomas Hobbes
A Comparison Between
Noble and Ignoble States.
- Aristotle
Michael Silber | Directed Research | Professor Tom Klinkowstein

7. Humor Theories
Incongruity Superiority
Relief Play
Michael Silber | Directed Research | Professor Tom Klinkowstein

8. Syncretism
Seeing many unlike
elements at once
and perceiving them
together in oneness.
Michael Silber | Directed Research | Professor Tom Klinkowstein

9. Unintentional Incongruity
Michael Silber | Directed Research | Professor Tom Klinkowstein

10. Autocomplete
Michael Silber | Directed Research | Professor Tom Klinkowstein

11. Project Concepts
Build Interactive Incongruity Machines that
promote divergent, associative, and syncretic
thinking, inspiring unconventional methods of
understanding and a revaluing of humor
as a form of creative problem-solving.
• An algorithm to abstract digital information.
• A system of cross referencing multiple search
results or web pages.
• A platform for word and image recombination.
• A forum to share and create digital absurdities.
Michael Silber | Directed Research | Professor Tom Klinkowstein

12. Research Outline
1. Why Humor Matters 7. Digital Culture
A. Universality
2. Philosophers on Humor
B. Redefining Originality
3. Humor Theories C. Humor as Art
A. Incongruity
8. Lessons From Incongruity and Humor
B. Relief
A. Divergent Thinking
C. Superiority
B. Associative Thinking
D. Play
C. Syncretic Thinking
E. Other Theories
9. Future Implications
4. Cognitive/Psychological/Evolutionary
A. Artificial Intelligence
Basis for Humor
B. Human-Machine Communication
5. Visual Perception C. The Value of Humor
and The Screen World
10. Project
6. Humor and the Digital Experience Interactive Incongruity Machines
A. Unintentional Incongruity Humor
B. Intentional Incongruity Humor
Michael Silber | Directed Research | Professor Tom Klinkowstein

13. Selected Sources
ROY ASCOTT
Syncretic Reality: Art, Process, and Potentiality: http://www.drainmag.com
BRIAN CHRISTIAN
The Most Human Human: What Talking with Computers Teaches Us About What It Means To Be Alive
HURLEY, DENNETT, ADAMS
Inside Jokes: Using Humor to Reverse-Engineer the Mind.
MICHAEL MALONE
The Guardian of All Things: The Epic Story of Human Memory.
KLIPH NESTEROFF
http://classicshowbiz.blogspot.com/
MCGRAW, WARREN
Benign Violations: Making Immoral Behavior Funny
RADIOLAB: SEASON 8 EP 1: OOPS
http://www.radiolab.org
PAUL SAFFO
The Place of Originality in the Information Age: http://saffo.com
LINDA STONE
Continuous Partial Attention: http://lindastone.net
Michael Silber | Directed Research | Professor Tom Klinkowstein

14. Digital Immediacy
Michael Silber | Directed Research | Professor Tom Klinkowstein