1. THESIS ONE
Digital Absurdity
Michael Silber | 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.
Humor in this form celebrates
juxtapositions, boundary confusion,
and promotes absurd connections.
Michael Silber | Directed Research | Professor Tom Klinkowstein
11. Is there an evolutionary/
adaptive explanation for the
existence of humor?
How does humor define
our humanity?
Michael Silber | Directed Research | Professor Tom Klinkowstein
12. The Digital Experience
and Absurdity
Incongruent fragments of
written, verbal, and visual
information can become fused
in nonsensical absurd ways,
as our minds seek to
process and organize.
Michael Silber | Directed Research | Professor Tom Klinkowstein
15. If you put things together in
just the right way you can
create transcendent effect.
-Ray Kurzweil
Michael Silber | Directed Research | Professor Tom Klinkowstein
