ABSTRACT
One antidote to the narrowness of ethics has come from moral anthropologists and social psychologists such as Jonathan Haidt who argue for the claims that morality consists in more than benevolence and fairness and that many areas of human life reflecting important human needs and interests provide the point and function of various virtues. For humor can be an important tool for drawing attention to places where the people have fallen short of the mark and for encouraging the reader to change for the better. This chapter begins with an analysis of the trait of cheerfulness, which Glen Pettigrove argues is a disposition to feel cheer even in challenging circumstances. Cheerfulness and humor are important for sociability. Wonder orients the reader well towards their natural environment. It is hoped that it will inspire future exploration of even less charted waters.
