addict
Explanation
This comic features a conversation between two characters about drug use and life trajectory. The first character warns: "Honey, no! Drugs may seem cool now, but your life will get worse and worse." The second character responds with a darkly logical rebuttal: "Well, sure, but that's true of life generally. Since things will get worse, I suggest I would try to logically want to enjoy the present as possible."
In the next panel, the first character says: "Dammit boy, I warned you not to get into philosophy. Now look -- you've gotten into the hard stuff: 'is-ought' distinctions, hedonism..." implying that philosophy is the real gateway drug, not actual drugs. The final panel has the second character triumphantly saying he can "quit any time" and shift to "Kantian maximization" -- referencing Immanuel Kant's deontological ethics as if switching philosophical frameworks is like switching substances.
The humor works by treating philosophy as if it were a dangerous addictive substance. The comic inverts the standard "drugs are bad" after-school-special narrative: the real danger isn't drugs but philosophical reasoning, which can lead you to rationalize anything (including drug use). The escalation from casual drug references to hardcore philosophical terminology ("is-ought distinction," "Kantian maximization") mirrors the progression from soft drugs to hard drugs in anti-drug messaging. It satirizes both moralizing anti-drug rhetoric and the way philosophical arguments can be used to justify virtually any behavior.