a-math-lesson
Explanation
The Joke
A professor begins a math PhD class by telling a story from Plutarch: Solon was amazed that Thales of Miletus, the first great mathematician, did not want to marry or have kids. So Thales sent a messenger to slowly and tortuously inform Solon that his son had died. Solon began to beat his head and display all the signs of extreme grief. At that point, Thales appeared, took Solon by the hand, and said: "This is it, Solon, which keeps me from marriage and children -- it overwhelms even thee, who art the most stouthearted of men." But then the professor adds: "Be not dismayed at this story, for it is not true."
The professor then delivers her real lesson: "So the point is... that Thales was a giant dickhead? And you can be too... if you work hard." The final panel reveals this is the very first day of the math PhD program, with the professor welcoming new students.
The Humor
The humor operates on several levels. First, the ancient anecdote itself is darkly funny -- Thales elaborately tricked his friend into believing his son was dead, solely to win a philosophical argument about why he chose not to have children. The professor correctly identifies this as extreme dickishness rather than profound wisdom.
Second, the punchline reframes the story as an inspirational message for new math PhD students: the takeaway is not Thales's philosophical insight about the vulnerability that comes with love, but rather that he was a jerk -- and that aspiring mathematicians can follow in his footsteps with sufficient effort. This satirizes both the hagiographic way mathematicians are often discussed in academia and the notoriously difficult social dynamics of graduate school. The timing -- delivering this message on day one of a PhD program -- makes it even funnier as a darkly honest welcome speech.
References
The story comes from Plutarch's "Life of Solon," in which the anecdote about Thales of Miletus (c. 624-546 BCE) tricking Solon with a fake report of his son's death is recounted. Thales is traditionally considered the first philosopher and mathematician in Western history. The bottom of the comic notes it is a bonus comic created to promote pre-orders of Zach Weinersmith's book "Soonish" (2017), a popular science book co-authored with his wife Kelly Weinersmith about emerging technologies.