Ted Cohen works and teaches primarily in aesthetics, the history of aesthetics - especially the 18th century - and a bit in the philosophy of language.

His interest in humor began as a hobby and has become a full-blown academic pursuit as well. He began studying jokes after publishing essays on figurative speech.

He has lectured on the nature of humor and jokes, as well as on sports, photography and art. Among his recent publications are the book Jokes, (University Of Chicago Press, 2001) and the essays, "Identifying with Metaphor," "Metaphor, Feeling, and Narrative," and "Three Problems in Kant's Aesthetics."

Cohen has been at Chicago since 1967.