Why does humor change so quickly? What was funny 300 years ago is, for the most part, not funny today. But many works of art from 300 years ago are still aesthetically pleasing. What is the driving force behind humor's rapid progression?
Hundreds of years ago, burning cats alive was HILARIOUS. Like, seriously, seriously funny stuff.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat-burning
I postulate that humor is rooted in the absurd, and that if the absurd changes, humor changes. A quick Google search describes absurdity as "wildly unreasonable, illogical, or inappropriate." That seems fitting for humor. Why would we laugh at something reasonable, logical, or appropriate? Although sometimes we laugh at something that is illogical to us but logical to others. Humor is a product of irony, and as our expectations change, what we think is ironic changes.
