Comic #2402: 2011-12-11

View Original Comic

Description

Here’s the transcription of the comic:

Panel 1: Child: "Daddy, how do we know we know things?"

Panel 2: Adult: "It's hard. There's a philosophical problem called 'the problem of other minds' that goes like this…"

Panel 3: Adult: "Smith and Jones, interviewing for the same job."

Panel 4: Adult (sees Jones): "Smith notices Jones is too short. He also notices Jones has a mustache in his interview."

Panel 5: Adult (thinking): "Sure, man with two coins will get the job."

Panel 6: Narration: "Later, Smith actually does get the job. After the interview, he finds 10 coins in his pocket."

Panel 7: Narration: "So Smith's perception was justified and true, but wasn't based on accurate information."

Panel 8: Adult: "This presents a problem. If you can learn that knowledge is true for the wrong reason, what is the meaning of 'knowledge'?"

Panel 9: Child: "But it's easy if you look at little things!"

Panel 10: Adult: "Huh?"

Panel 11: Child: "Like… is there turtles?"

Panel 12: Adult: "No. There's nothing that happens."

Panel 13: Child: "Is there consciousness?"

Panel 14: Adult: "No, they're just cells."

Panel 15: Child: "How do we worry about all the problems that arise from the small things refusing to be, 'being' themselves?"

Panel 16: Child: "Have you tried to understand the 'small' things?"

Panel 17: Adult: "Soon…"

Panel 18: Child: "Well, okay, but let me ask you this: when we talk about how we see them, they never tell us 'totally' about big stuff."

Panel 19: Adult: "Chick!"

Panel 20: Child: "Ow! Why'd you flick my nose?"

Panel 21: Adult: "There is no 'you'! That's only stuff that’s happening."

Panel 22: Child: (looking upset)

Panel 23: Child: "Humans are just minds in enormous machines, child."

Panel 24: Adult: "Bingo!"

This transcription captures the exchange between the characters in the comic.