3rd century BCE, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, Qin dynasty, quotes, stories
When Er Shi Huangdi 二世皇帝 (r. 209-207 BCE), the second (and last) emperor of the Qin dynasty, came to the throne, he decided to lacquer the Great Wall. The dwarf jester You Zhan 優旃 (Jester Twisty Pole) used the reductio ad absurdum technique to dissuade him. This is...
10th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, stories, Tang dynasty
An early example of reductio ad absurdum approach to changing the ruler’s mind. Rather than having a head-on confrontation with unreasonable behaviour, the jester instead agrees wholeheartedly, taking the whole thing to such a logical but extreme degree that...
10th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, stories
Following the accession of Emperor Taizu of the Later Liang 後梁太祖 (r. 907-912), a jester used an indirect way to criticize an unfair tax using the reductio ad absurdum technique; this involves taking a policy or idea to a logical extreme to demonstate its absurdity, a...
English, quotes, research
Bakhtin sums up a form of humour sometimes deployed by jesters seeking to enlighten the ruler. Rather than remonstrating to change behaviour, they would agree wholeheartedly with the crackpot proposal being put forward. By running with an idea to an absurd degree,...
