Stand-Up Comedians, Modern-Day Philosophers

I know that I am not the first person to say this, but I do believe that stand-up comedians are true modern-day philosophers. Watching stand-up is great because it's a fun time. You get entertained and you chuckle or even laugh out loud. But a really good comedian does more than that: good comedians make you think.

Consider the point of philosophy. I will grant that you can't get people to agree on the point of Philosophy, so I'm going to use my definition. The point of philosophy is to find things that are true. A philosopher says things that people know or understand, but had never looked at in a particular way. And according to this post I made, comedy is about doing the same thing. The things that are funniest to us are true, relatable, and make us think.

Comedians have to think about these things, things that cross people's minds, but are rarely pondered. They need to make connections and comparisons that other people don't make, but ring true the instant that people hear it.

Comedians are writers. Some may do a bit of freestyling, but they all have an act and bits that they plan out and practice. Although we do not read their writing, the fact that they plan it and write it down makes them writers.

If you are a writer, regardless of what form you write, you would do well to study stand-up comedians. See the jokes they tell, why good ones are funny, why bad ones fail, how they transition thoughts, what connections they make. Stand-up comedians are a very available resource and a wealth of information. Learn from these philosophers so your writing can have an interesting philosophy of its own.