2012-07-16
Explanation
The comic tackles the common argument against funding pure science -- specifically particle colliders like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). One character complains that giant particle colliders can't feed the hungry, cure cancer, or stop poverty, implying the money would be better spent on humanitarian causes. The second character responds with a reductio ad absurdum: if the only metric for value is immediate practical benefit, then we should also scrap the Eiffel Tower for iron, quarry the Pyramids for stone, and melt the Statue of Liberty for copper wiring. When the first character tries to object, the second dismisses her with "Sorry, can't hear you. I only listen to noises that might save babies."
The joke exposes the logical inconsistency in purely utilitarian arguments against basic research. Nobody seriously proposes dismantling cultural monuments for their raw materials, yet the argument structure is identical: these things cost money and don't directly solve hunger or disease. The comic points out that human civilization values things beyond immediate material utility -- knowledge, beauty, cultural achievement, and understanding the universe. The final line about only listening to "noises that might save babies" is a satirical exaggeration of how such utilitarian arguments can be weaponized to shut down any spending that isn't directly life-saving, which, if applied consistently, would eliminate most of what makes civilization worthwhile.