Standards
Original: Standards on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Panel 1:
Man (gesturing, pointing): "This sentence is false" is NOT a paradox. It's underspecification because it's not clear what "this sentence" refers to.
Panel 2:
Man (holding up one finger): Therefore the newly formed organization for philosophical standards has defined a standard reference "This sentence."
Panel 3:
Man: From now on, any underspecified use of "this sentence" refers to the sentence "Monkeys have two butts but one of them is very small, so nobody noticed."
Panel 4:
Off-panel voice (silhouettes in audience): Analytic philosophy has gone too far! Stop defining the fun out of concepts!
Another voice (separate speech bubble): That reminds me, the smallest uninteresting number is now officially 26.
Votey:
A voice (speech bubble, character with curly hair shown below): Also the ship of Theseus is just baryons. There's no ship.
Man (gesturing, pointing): "This sentence is false" is NOT a paradox. It's underspecification because it's not clear what "this sentence" refers to.
Panel 2:
Man (holding up one finger): Therefore the newly formed organization for philosophical standards has defined a standard reference "This sentence."
Panel 3:
Man: From now on, any underspecified use of "this sentence" refers to the sentence "Monkeys have two butts but one of them is very small, so nobody noticed."
Panel 4:
Off-panel voice (silhouettes in audience): Analytic philosophy has gone too far! Stop defining the fun out of concepts!
Another voice (separate speech bubble): That reminds me, the smallest uninteresting number is now officially 26.
Votey:
A voice (speech bubble, character with curly hair shown below): Also the ship of Theseus is just baryons. There's no ship.
Alt text
A four-panel SMBC comic. In the first three panels, a man in a suit lectures, gesturing as he speaks. Panel 1, pointing: "'This sentence is false' is NOT a paradox. It's underspecification because it's not clear what 'this sentence' refers to." Panel 2, holding up one finger: "Therefore the newly formed organization for philosophical standards has defined a standard reference 'This sentence.'" Panel 3: "From now on, any underspecified use of 'this sentence' refers to the sentence 'Monkeys have two butts but one of them is very small, so nobody noticed.'" Panel 4 shows silhouetted audience members; one objects, "Analytic philosophy has gone too far! Stop defining the fun out of concepts!" while another deadpans, "That reminds me, the smallest uninteresting number is now officially 26." Votey: a person with curly hair adds, "Also the ship of Theseus is just baryons. There's no ship."
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.