stoicism
Original: stoicism on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Panel 1:
A bearded man in robes (a Stoic philosopher) stands before classical columns, gesturing.
Stoic: The hedonists merely cling on to momentary pleasure. THIS is why the true path to happiness.
Panel 2:
Stoic: As a Stoic, sometimes I'll deny myself a desire, purely to prove to myself that it has meaning. THAT is the pleasure of the Stoic.
A young man (listener): I don't get it.
Panel 3:
Stoic: I mean that's still hedonism. You've just replaced the general category of 'pleasure' with the specific category of 'pleasure from goodness.'
Listener: I could go without sangria, if I choose to.
Panel 4:
Stoic: So...
Listener: I choose not to.
Votey:
A hand-lettered sign reads:
SMBC: NOW FEATURING 2000 YEARS LATE HUMOR!
A bearded man in robes (a Stoic philosopher) stands before classical columns, gesturing.
Stoic: The hedonists merely cling on to momentary pleasure. THIS is why the true path to happiness.
Panel 2:
Stoic: As a Stoic, sometimes I'll deny myself a desire, purely to prove to myself that it has meaning. THAT is the pleasure of the Stoic.
A young man (listener): I don't get it.
Panel 3:
Stoic: I mean that's still hedonism. You've just replaced the general category of 'pleasure' with the specific category of 'pleasure from goodness.'
Listener: I could go without sangria, if I choose to.
Panel 4:
Stoic: So...
Listener: I choose not to.
Votey:
A hand-lettered sign reads:
SMBC: NOW FEATURING 2000 YEARS LATE HUMOR!
Alt text
A four-panel comic. A bearded man in robes, a Stoic philosopher, stands before classical columns lecturing a skeptical young man. Panel 1, the Stoic: 'The hedonists merely cling on to momentary pleasure. THIS is why the true path to happiness.' Panel 2, the Stoic explains that as a Stoic he sometimes denies himself a desire purely to prove it has meaning, calling that 'the pleasure of the Stoic'; the young man replies, 'I don't get it.' Panel 3, the young man counters that this is still just hedonism, having merely swapped 'pleasure' for 'pleasure from goodness,' then adds, 'I could go without sangria, if I choose to.' Panel 4, the Stoic says 'So...' and the young man finishes, 'I choose not to,' undercutting the Stoic's whole argument by refusing self-denial. The votey aftercomic shows a hand-lettered sign: 'SMBC: NOW FEATURING 2000 YEARS LATE HUMOR!'
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.