The humanization of wit
The humanization of wit is a very ambiguous process that has continued from the earliest times up to this moment. According to modern scientific studies, the earliest examples of humanization (or rather dehumanization) may be found in the Old Testament which possesses 29 references to laughter, half of which are instances associated with scorn, humiliation, contempt and mocking. The later patterns are to be found in the ancient Greek's comedies, myths and poems. It is noteworthy that both ancient Greeks and Romans considered themselves civilized peoples and regarded almost all other nations, especially Asians, barbarians. They really thought that those only pretended to be humans and not more. As a result, barbarians were thought to be incapable of gaining any knowledge or expressing any serious emotions. In ancient times, the wit was viewed as the realm of Gods and consequently barbarians were very far way from this phenomenon.
As laughter entered Medieval Ages, it started to acquire more and more traits of the art but not independent style. It was in the fifth century AD that the art experienced the first rise of humour into art. From that moment on, the wit enters the general cultural outline of the Western civilization producing great influence on it particularly in the Age of the Renaissance and Enlightenment.
It is no surprise that the current Western Europe and America much owe to the wit as one of the main factors for developing its cultural heritage. The highest forms of wit were achieved in the literary works of French Enlighteners of the eighteenth century such as Voltaire, Jean Jacque Russo, Deni Didro and many others.