This lecture will explore Aristotle's views on such topics as the causes of laughter, whether it is ever proper to laugh at oneself, the relationship between humor and virtue, and the role of humor in human life. Recommended reading is the Nicomachean Ethics, IV, I and Richard Janko's reconstruction of the second book of the Poetics, which can be found in his translation of the Poetics (Hackett Publishing Company, 1987).