2014-10-28
Explanation
The Joke
A scientist gives a presentation about whether natural altruism exists. She says she spent many hours doing research, knowing full well it would have no noticeable benefit for her career. She was not paid to do it, no potential mates will be impressed by it, and she will gain no social status for having done it. She declares it is "purely a gift to the scientific community." An audience member says, "What a great presentation!" to which she responds, "Thus, this presentation about altruism proves the existence of human altruism. Thank you." Someone in the audience yells, "Stop that!"
The Humor
The comic plays on the philosophical debate about whether true altruism exists. The presenter cleverly uses her own presentation as evidence: by arguing that she did unpaid, unrewarded research purely for the benefit of others, she claims the very act of giving the presentation is itself proof of altruism. The joke is that this is a self-referential paradox -- if the presentation succeeds in proving altruism exists, then the presenter gains academic recognition and career benefit, which would mean it was not truly altruistic after all. The audience member's "Stop that!" suggests they recognize the circular, self-defeating logic. It is a playful take on the philosophical problem of whether any act can ever be truly selfless, since even selfless acts can bring the satisfaction of being selfless.