Access to the building is via a few steps; a stair climber is available. Please give us prior notice if use of the chair climber is required. A lift provides access to the lower ground floor and facilities. More details can be found on our website. If you are a blue badge holder, you can be accompanied by a carer to the event. Carers can attend for free. The carer can also be a friend or a family member. Carers must RSVP via 020 7487 5060 prior to the event.

Students, over 65s, Westminster card holders, those with a registered disabled card can book concession tickets. ID will be required at the entrance.

Member tickets are valid for members of the Hellenic Centre. Please contact membership@helleniccentre.org for more information or to purchase a membership.

Our bar is open one hour before and after the events programmed by the Hellenic Centre.

Photography and filming may be taken during some of our events. Please let us know if you do not wish to be included. These photographs serve as documentation of our programming and may also be: -Used and posted on The Hellenic Centre’s social media accounts -Used on our website www.helleniccentre.org as documentation or as part of promotion of events -Used in reports or presentations to funders or stakeholders -Held within The Hellenic Centre archive.

The Wisdom of Laughter for the Ancient Greeks

Name: The Wisdom of Laughter for the Ancient Greeks
Start: 2026-06-04T19:00:00+0100
End: 2026-06-04T20:00:00+0100
Location: The Hellenic Centre

Thu, 4 Jun, 7pm - 8pm BST

The Hellenic Centre

London, United Kingdom

The Hellenic Centre

411 followers · Contact host

Description

What is humour? What does it do for us and for society? From the way the ancient Greeks thought of laughter to contemporary philosophy, it is a fascinating subject that influences our daily lives.

From Plato to Bergson and, more recently, N. Carroll, philosophers have always emphasised the importance of aggressiveness in humour. Indeed, it is well known that many jokes are based, directly or indirectly, on racism, sexism, or other forms of discrimination. If there is no positive value in these types of aggression, is it possible to regulate the humour that gives rise to them?

Furthermore, we should attempt to explain why we find such jokes amusing, even if we object to their content. Pierre Destrée and Elena Cagnoli Fiecconi will present this problem and its philosophical history. They will then discuss two very different ways in which ancient Greek philosophers proposed regulating it—those of Plato and Aristotle, respectively.

FAQs

Access

Access to the building is via a few steps; a stair climber is available. Please give us prior notice if use of the chair climber is required. A lift provides access to the lower ground floor and facilities. More details can be found on our website. If you are a blue badge holder, you can be accompanied by a carer to the event. Carers can attend for free. The carer can also be a friend or a family member. Carers must RSVP via 020 7487 5060 prior to the event.
Concession

Students, over 65s, Westminster card holders, those with a registered disabled card can book concession tickets. ID will be required at the entrance.
Member tickets

Member tickets are valid for members of the Hellenic Centre. Please contact membership@helleniccentre.org for more information or to purchase a membership.
Bar

Our bar is open one hour before and after the events programmed by the Hellenic Centre.
Photography

Photography and filming may be taken during some of our events. Please let us know if you do not wish to be included. These photographs serve as documentation of our programming and may also be: -Used and posted on The Hellenic Centre’s social media accounts -Used on our website www.helleniccentre.org as documentation or as part of promotion of events -Used in reports or presentations to funders or stakeholders -Held within The Hellenic Centre archive.