A Case for Irony (Tanner Lectures on Human Values) by Jonathan Lear

The Tanner Lectures on Human Values

by Jonathan Lear

Vanity Fair has declared the Age of Irony over. Joan Didion has lamented that Obama’s United States is an “irony-free zone." Here Jonathan Lear argues that irony is one of the tools we use to live seriously, to get the hang of becoming human. It forces us to experience disruptions in our habitual ways of tuning out of life, but comes with a cost.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Psychology, Psychoanalysis

Paperback Bunko

First published October 24, 2011

About the author

Jonathan Lear is an American philosopher and psychoanalyst. He is the John U. Nef Distinguished Service Professor in the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago and served as the Roman Family Director of the Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society from 2014 to 2022.

Reviews

[Alex Flynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Denser and more academic than I hoped (and the myriad positive reviews let on) but an excellent read. Especially for those with an interest in philosophy. Irony seems to become one of those intangible goals, as opposed to the comedic device I've know it as, like Sunyata in Buddhism. In fact, I found this a lot like philosophical works examining Buddhism by David Loy. It is sometimes very hard to wrap your head around just what irony and its value is, but I think it is worth the effort. The book is not helped much by the often unclear and overly complex sentence (and sometimes grammatically incorrect). Clear sentences would have helped a lot, and not detracted from the message. Overall I would recommend, but prepare to feel like your reading a college text and not an examination of the Colbert Report in modern culture.

[Ahmed]

Interesting. Not sure if this simple (albeit profound) idea needed a book. A bit circular. May it should have coined a new term instead on trying to redefine a term that's already misunderstood.

[Miranda Starmz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Went a little over my head; primarily because I'm DEFINITELY not familiar with the academic tradition surrounding irony. Thus, perhaps not the best introduction to Lear (I have a feeling either 'Radical Hope' or 'Aristotle' would've been easier transitions), but still intriguing.

In particular, I adored the synergy of psychology (specifically, psychoanalysis) and philosophy. Tie this in with the undercurrent of language & sociology that runs through 'A Case for Irony' and this book is perfect on paper. Unfortunately, I didn't really understand some parts and I will definitely have to revisit - with consistent note-taking - the book at a later point. Still, I managed to comprehend and connect very much to the final commentary, which revolves around more tangential points regarding psychoanalysis and the super/ego.

Lear comes off as witty, well-meaning and very smart. Fortunately, I've already got two of his other publications lined up!

[Samir de Leon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I struggle a bit with (rating) this one. Lear successfully explains, on a conceptual level, what makes his version of irony (rooted in Socratic/Kierkegaardian irony) distinct from ordinary (or even extraordinary) instances of self-questioning, yet the example he provides of Ms. A's experience as Lear's analysand doesn't make a convincing case for irony. It's unclear that Ms. A's questioning of her personal identity as a woman actually even counts as ironic, based on Lear's own argument. Moreover, some of the discussion of Ms. A's gender identity is trite and arguably problematic in areas (a point Christine Korsgaard not-so-subtly makes in her response to Lear, which is included as an appendix to Lear's lectures).

On the other hand, I strongly suspect Lear's thesis is correct: ironic disruption and the striving for ironic existence is a worthwhile and potentially transformative undertaking. My recommendation would be: read Plato's dialogues, read Kierkegaard, and read A Case for Irony, and then come up with your own conception of what role irony should play in your self-conception.

[Harris Bolus · Rating 4 out of 5]

The dialogue with Cora Diamond was the best part!

[T.R. Ormond · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this age of identity politics, this book offers an olive branch. How can you genuinely embody your identity and retain your individuality? Follow Lear's peculiar notion of irony.

So what does he mean by irony? He is referring back to Socrates and his role as the eiron in Plato's dialogues. Socrates never allows his interlocutor to get away with making assumptions. He constantly questions assumptions and thereby reveals that the other person hasn't really thought about the problem at all, only accepted some form of conventional wisdom.

Lear wants us to play the socratic eiron to ourselves and to use this skill to become better at defining the aspects of our identities that mean the most to ourselves. Take the role of "teacher," say. It is not enough to just consider yourself a good teacher. You need to ask yourself "what makes a teacher good?" You need to have an ideal in mind. And then ask yourself how you measure up to that ideal. Asking questions of ourselves, not assuming we're the best, knowing what we find most valuable -- this conduct enables us to become better at embodying those identities that mean the most to us.