free-will-5
Original: free-will-5 on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Panel 1:
A young man with dark-red hair and a red tie, in a suit, bursts in holding up a sheet of paper.
Young man: PROFESSOR! PROFESSOR! I'VE DONE IT! I'VE PROVED MATHEMATICALLY, BEYOND DOUBT, THAT HUMANS HAVE FREE WILL! WE ARE ALWAYS ALWAYS FREE TO DO OTHERWISE!
An older, balding professor with glasses and a gray beard responds.
Professor: CAN YOU FREELY CHOOSE TO LET ME PUBLISH IT AND TAKE ALL THE CREDIT?
Panel 2:
The young man stands silently, sweating, with a flat, trapped expression.
Votey:
The young man, sweating, says: TO BE CLEAR, I ONLY PROVED IT FOR A NARROW MATHEMATICAL DEFINITION NOBODY AGREES WITH.
A young man with dark-red hair and a red tie, in a suit, bursts in holding up a sheet of paper.
Young man: PROFESSOR! PROFESSOR! I'VE DONE IT! I'VE PROVED MATHEMATICALLY, BEYOND DOUBT, THAT HUMANS HAVE FREE WILL! WE ARE ALWAYS ALWAYS FREE TO DO OTHERWISE!
An older, balding professor with glasses and a gray beard responds.
Professor: CAN YOU FREELY CHOOSE TO LET ME PUBLISH IT AND TAKE ALL THE CREDIT?
Panel 2:
The young man stands silently, sweating, with a flat, trapped expression.
Votey:
The young man, sweating, says: TO BE CLEAR, I ONLY PROVED IT FOR A NARROW MATHEMATICAL DEFINITION NOBODY AGREES WITH.
Alt text
A two-panel SMBC comic. Panel 1: An excited young man with dark-red hair and a red tie, in a suit, bursts in holding up a sheet of paper and shouts, "Professor! Professor! I've done it! I've proved mathematically, beyond doubt, that humans have free will! We are always ALWAYS free to do otherwise!" The older, balding, gray-bearded professor in glasses replies, "Can you freely choose to let me publish it and take all the credit?" Panel 2: The young man stands frozen, sweating, with a flat, trapped expression, unable to give an answer that doesn't undermine his own proof. Votey (aftercomic): The young man, still sweating, adds, "To be clear, I only proved it for a narrow mathematical definition nobody agrees with."
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.