morality-2
Explanation
This is an extended, multi-panel comic that takes a sweeping tour through the history of moral philosophy, escalating in absurdity with each panel.
The comic begins with early moral philosophy -- the idea that morality might be based on divine command, natural law, or reason. It moves through the Enlightenment discovery that morality can be derived from rational principles, then hits the problem that purely rational morality becomes nightmarishly complicated. One philosopher screams in frustration, while another calmly notes that maybe we should "just be nice."
The comic continues escalating: a utilitarian tries to calculate the greatest good, a deontologist insists on absolute rules, and someone suggests virtue ethics. Each framework is presented as initially promising but ultimately collapsing into absurdity or impracticality. A character named Steve appears to represent the "just be a decent person" approach, which keeps getting dismissed by professional philosophers.
The punchline arrives at the end: after millennia of moral philosophy, the comic suggests that "Steve is reality" -- that is, most actual human moral behavior is just people trying to be decent to each other without any grand philosophical framework. The philosophers have been overcomplicating something that Steve figured out intuitively.
The humor satirizes the entire enterprise of academic moral philosophy as an elaborate exercise in overcomplicating what most people already understand instinctively. It's a characteristic SMBC blend of genuine intellectual engagement with philosophy and irreverent mockery of its practitioners.