Laughing and Crying: A Study of the Limits of Human Behavior

First published in German in 1940 and widely recognized as a classic of philosophical anthropology, Laughing and Crying is a detailed investigation of these two particularly significant types of expressive behavior, both in themselves and in relation to human nature. Elaborating the philosophical account of human life he developed in Levels of Organic Life and the Human: An Introduction to Philosophical Anthropology, Plessner suggests that laughing and crying are expressions of a crisis brought about in certain situations by the relation of a person to their body.
 
With a new foreword by J. M. Bernstein that situates the book within the broader framework of Plessner’s philosophical anthropology and his richly suggestive and powerful account of human bodily life, Laughing and Crying is essential reading for anyone interested in the philosophy of the body, emotions, and human behavior.
 

HELMUTH PLESSNER (1892–1985) was a leading figure in the field of philosophical anthropology. He was the author of more than thirteen books, including The Limits of Community: A Critique of Social Radicalism, Levels of Organic Life and the Human: An Introduction to Philosophical Anthropology, and Political Anthropology.
 
J. M. BERNSTEIN is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the New School for Social Research. He is the author of Torture and Dignity: An Essay on Moral Injury.