2011-11-01
Explanation
This comic plays on the concept of moral relativism by turning it into a literal monster-under-the-bed scenario. In the first panel, a mother is tucking her young son into bed, telling him "No more philosophy books after five o'''clock, okay sweetie?" This establishes that the child has been reading philosophy and it'''s causing problems at bedtime.
The second panel, labeled "Earlier...," reveals why: the boy runs to his parents''' bedroom screaming "Mom, Dad! There'''s a moral relativist under my bed!" Instead of the typical childhood fear of a monster, this child -- having been reading philosophy -- is frightened by the concept of moral relativism itself, personified as an actual creature lurking under his bed. The final panel shows the boy'''s terrified face as he whispers, "He'''s capable of anything," which is the logical punchline: if a moral relativist believes there are no objective moral truths, then no action is inherently wrong, meaning they are indeed "capable of anything."
The votey panel continues the gag with the boy yelling down at the relativist, "It'''s wrong to scare children!" to which the creature replies "Not objectively!" -- perfectly demonstrating the moral relativist position that would make such a being truly frightening to a child who has just learned about the concept. The comic is a clever fusion of childhood fears with philosophical concepts, making an abstract intellectual debate feel viscerally scary.