If the sun has risen every day in the past, then we should think it’s very unlikely that it’d rise again.
As a result, these people are all starving and living in poverty. An Earth xenosociologist visits the planet and studies them assiduously for 6 months. At the end of her stay, she asked to be brought to their greatest scientists and philosophers, and posts the question: “Hey, why are you still using this anti-induction philosophy? You’re living in horrible poverty!” The lead Philosopher of Science looks at her in pity as if she’s a child, and replies:
“Well, it never worked before…”
Joke Poo: The Quantum Plumbers
There’s a dimension populated by plumbers who operate according to the principles of Quantum Entanglement. Any two pipes they work on become instantly linked, regardless of distance. However, they only believe in the possibility of quantum entanglement during observation. If no one is observing, the entanglement is considered to be in a state of superposition of both entangled and not-entangled, until observation.
As a result, their plumbing systems are a chaotic mess of leaking pipes and bafflingly interconnected fixtures. An interdimensional plumbing inspector visits their dimension and studies their practices for a year. At the end of his stay, he demanded an audience with their Grand Master Plumber, and posed the question: “Why are you still relying on this quantum entanglement gimmick? Your entire system is a disaster!” The Grand Master Plumber sighs, and replies:
“But nobody was watching it before… so we had to assume it wasn’t working.”
Alright, let’s break down this joke and see what comedic gems we can unearth!
Joke Dissection:
- Core Concept: The joke revolves around anti-induction, a philosophical concept where past experiences are used to argue against future occurrences. It’s an intentionally backwards and absurd way of thinking.
- Setup: A planet full of people subscribing to anti-induction are, unsurprisingly, miserable. The setup establishes a scenario ripe for ironic failure.
- Punchline: The philosopher’s response (“Well, it never worked before…”) is the key. It highlights the circular logic and unwavering commitment to a demonstrably flawed system. It also cleverly uses the anti-induction philosophy against itself.
- Humor: The humor comes from the absurdity, the irony, and the frustration of witnessing self-inflicted suffering based on nonsensical reasoning. There’s also a subtle dig at the sometimes-detached nature of philosophical debates.
Key Elements to Exploit:
- Anti-Induction: The central philosophical principle.
- Self-Defeating Logic: The core comedic engine.
- Philosophy of Science: The context for the joke.
- Xenosociology: The lens of studying alien societies.
New Humor Generation:
Here’s a “Did You Know?” that builds on the absurdity of the original joke:
“Did you know that the leading export of the anti-induction planet is… philosophical papers arguing against the existence of future exports? Their economy, naturally, is in a perpetual state of next-quarter doom, except for one sector: sellers of “The End is Nigh” t-shirts, whose profits are predicted to be historically low due to the unbroken string of previous false predictions, which, according to their logic, guarantees record-breaking sales.”
Why it works:
- Amplifies Absurdity: The “philosophical papers arguing against future exports” takes the core concept to a ludicrous extreme.
- Ironic Twist: The T-shirt seller scenario provides additional layers of self-defeating logic, as they are banking on the idea of a self-fulfilling prophecy that has always failed.
- Builds on Existing Premise: It extends the world-building of the original joke, imagining how such a philosophy would affect their economy and culture.
- Subtle Social Commentary: Touches on the human tendency to both predict and ironically benefit from future disaster.