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Philosophy Cartoons

  • The uninvention of the wheel – a nonsense cartoon

    Cartoon/illustration - the uninvention of the wheel

    The uninvention of the wheel – a nonsense cartoon

    A cartoon or illustration illustrating the fanciful notion that inventions can be ‘uninvented’

    Here, in an imaginary setting in a fictitious world, the inhabitants are discovering that by removing the wheels from a cart the cart becomes really hard to move. They seem to be excited by this revelation. Quite why I’m not sure. In fact, I’m not really sure what the cartoon’s about at all. Perhaps it’s about the discovery of the significance of meaninglessness.

    This cartoon was drawn quite a few years ago, maybe in the 1980s. I must check.
    A quite surreal cartoon, bizarre both in subject and style

    Cartoon reference number: a561

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  • The evolution of humour – cartoon

    evolution of humor cartoon

    Cartoon – the evolution of humor

    An illustration using the classic ‘evolution of man from ape’ tableau, showing modern man developing a sense of humour.

    Humour is depicted using the trope of a banana skin
    Cartoon reference number: a549
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  • Unicorn cartoon. Proof that unicorns don’t exist

    unicorn proof of existence cartoon

    Unicorn cartoon. Proof that unicorns don’t exist

    In the illustration a unicorn is reading a magazine or newspaper article with the headline “Unicorns don’t exist – the proof”.
    The joke is that something that doesn’t exist is reading an article giving proof that it doesn’t exist.
    The cartoon is based on the fact that generally you can’t prove a negative. For instance, in Britain before the time of ocean-going discovery all swans that were observed were white – however this didn’t mean that there were no swans that were black (as indeed there were in Australia).
    The argument is often applied to religion and the subject of attempting to prove the existence of god. Believers in god frequently ask nonbelievers to disprove the existence of god. Atheists have to reply that disproving the existence of god is similar to disproving the existence of unicorns. The onus is really on the believer to prove the existence of god (or prove the existence of unicorns).

    A cartoon about mythical or mythological creatures, the burden of proof
    Cartoon reference number: a545
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  • Illustration – do we live inside a hologram?

    hologram credit card cartoon

    Do we live inside a hologram? Cartoon

    A cartoon showing people climbing out of the holgram panel on a credit card.
    The caption reads “Bad news. Not only are we living inside a hologram, but we’re nearing our expiry date.”

    The illustration is about whether our three dimensional reality is a form of hologram like projection or illusion.
    The joke is in comparing a grand theory of a hologramic universe with the mundane hologram on a credit card.
    A cartoon about the nature of the universe, virtual reality
    Cartoon reference number: a538

  • Altruism cartoon.

    mindless violence and mindless altruism cartoon

    Altruism cartoon. Mindless violence and mindless altruism.
    The evolution of altruism

    A cartoon about the emergence of altruism in nature.

    The cartoon shows prehistoric men or cave men fighting. Another prehistoric man is rushing to the scene of the violence to care for the wounded. Yet another caveman is wondering about the evolution of altruism as a personality trait.
    Cartoon reference number: a535

  • Culturally determined world views – cartoon

    culturally based science cartoon

    A cartoon about culturally determined world views
    The idea that different cultures will use whatever methods are at their disposal to reinforce their established philosophy of how the world works.

    An observation about theological determinism, cultural bias in science, cognitive dissonance, pseudoscience

    The cartoon shows a nonspecific non-western culture planning to build their own large hadron collider (LHC) to obtain results that are consistent with their cultural heritage.
    It is an illustration about the misrepresentation of science or the lack of use of the scientific method.

    Update: The cartoon was drawn in 2010, however it is possibly more relevant now, in 2023, with the rise of anticolonialism and antiscience thinking (which is the concept that science is a white, western construct). For instance I’ve just read an article by Richard Dawkins about the fact that in New Zealand the government is currently instigating a scheme in which science in schools will have to be taught with the Maori ‘Ways of Knowing’ (Matauranga Maori) having equal standing with ‘western’ science (The Spectator, March 2023).

    Cartoon first published: November 2010, BBC Knowledge magazine
    Cartoon reference number: a534
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  • Social control through the ages – cartoon

    social control through the ages - cartoon

    Cartoon – social control through the ages
    In medieval times social control was imposed by the church and religion.
    In the twenty first century social control is imposed by technology

    A cartoon showing society in the middle ages being controlled by the church (symbolised by a cross), contrasted with society today being controlled by technology (symbolised by a cctv surveillance camera)

    A cartoon about coercion, repression, repressive societies
    Cartoon reference number: a502
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  • Cartoon about Utopia

    utopia by-laws - cartoon

    Welcome to Utopia – cartoon
    You are now entering Utopia – please abide by these by-laws

    A cartoon illustrating the idea that utopian societies can only exist if they are repressive or prescriptive to some degree (probably a necessary degree to be honest).

    The list of by-laws that have to be enforced in Utopia show that it’s maybe impossible for people to act unselfishly without a degree of coercion. A cartoon about politics, philosophy.
    Cartoon reference number: a500

  • The trouble with Utopia – cartoon

    utopia surveillance camera - cartoon

    The down side of Utopia
    Utopia monitored by surveillance camera

    A cartoon illustrating the idea that utopian societies can only exist if they are repressive to some degree (probably a necessary degree to be honest, judging by the nature of human nature).

    Cartoon reference number: a499

  • Cartoon. Holy books v factual books

    knowledge from holy books - cartoon

    Cartoon – knowledge from holy books
    The difference between religious books and scientific and factual books

    A cartoon showing a child reading from a pile of books – and another child reading from only one holy or religious book

    This cartoon illustrated the way that some religious groups think that all necessary knowledge can be found in their holy book.
    It illustrates the sort of argument put forward by people such as Richard Dawkins in The God Delusion or Christopher Hitchens in God is not Great
    Cartoon reference number: a498

  • Cartoon – skiing uphill

    skiing uphill - cartoon

    Skiing cartoon
    Skiing uphill cartoon

    A cartoon showing skiers skiing in opposite directions – one is skiing downhill while the other is skiing uphill.
    The image is on its side, so when viewed initially the viewer is confused by conflicting visual cues, mistaking the direction of the slope (look at the trees).

    Cartoon reference number: a497
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  • Philosophy cartoons – human significance compared to the scale of the universe

    human insignificance in a huge universe - cartoon

    Cartoon – the insignificance of humans in the universe

    A cartoon about the question: does the vast immensity of the universe mean that people are insignificant?
    Personally I think that the answer is no, but it’s a thing that a lot of people think (My opinion is that it’s a mistake to judge significance in terms of physical scale – you can find out more about my views on this in my book on related subjects
    The cartoon answers critics of science who claim that science strips away the wonder and awe of creation (as in the expression by Keats – unweaving the rainbow – adopted by Richard Dawkins as the title of one of his books)

    A cartoon about life, the universe and everything, the cosmos, the human condition, the fallacy of scale, meaning of life, religion, spirituality. A spiral galaxy cartoon, astronomy cartoon
    Cartoon reference number: a495
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  • Tree of knowledge cartoon

    Tree of knowledge cartoon

    Tree of knowledge cartoon

    The tree of knowledge discovers where paper comes from.

    Tree of knowledge discovers a disturbing truth.
    This cartoon may be used as an environmental cartoon about the use of wood for the production of paper products.
    It may also be used as an illustration concerning the human condition – about the way that people, through their own intelligence, have become aware of the ultimate fate of all of us, death. (a fate that other species of animal are possibly blissfully unaware in any deep way).
    The cartoon is also about the way that human intelligence as well as bringing about awareness has brought us to the situation in which we are destroying the environment.
    A cartoon about paper manufacturing, philosophical insight and the curse of self awareness

    Cartoon reference number: a479

  • Meaning of life cartoon – cosmic jigsaw puzzle

    cosmic jigsaw cartoon

    Meaning of life cartoon
    Philosophy cartoons
    The puzzle of existence – cartoon

    A cartoon showing two figures who look like pieces fro a jigsaw puzzle.
    One is saying to the other “Do you ever gety that feeling that you’re part of a gigantic cosmic jigsaw puzzle?”

    The drawing deliberately has no background or other setting, because the question in the image is appropriate to all situations
    Cartoon reference number: a433

  • Cognition cartoon – a thought balloon in the shape of a jigsaw puzzle piece

    jigsaw thought balloon cartoon

    A cartoon about cognition, cognitive processes and perception

    An illustration showing a person solving a jigsaw puzzle by thinking of the answer, in the form of the missing piece

    A cartoon about thought processes, thinking, problem solving, intelligence and intellectual processes.

    Cartoon reference number: a419

  • Quotation about pedants

    humorous quote about pedants

    A humorous quotation about pedantry
    “I’m not a pedant (in the strict definition of the term)
    The quote is my own

    A typography-based image showing a funny quote about pedants

    The humour is in the fact that only a pedant would qualify their lack of pedantry as quoted here
    Ref: a632

  • Seeing the face of God in a flower – cartoon

    Face of God in flower - cartoon

    See the face of God in a flower – cartoon

    A cartoon showing a Sunday school teacher telling her pupils that you can see the face of God when you look at a flower.

    One of the children is imagining the face of a pansy as the face of God.
    Pansies do have faces after all.
    Seeing faces in things is known as pareidolia.
    Cartoon reference number: a396

    See my book of gardening cartoons here.
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  • Looming presences. A drawing

    threatening presences and small person

    A moody illustration about oppressive thoughts and entities

    This is an atmospheric drawing of a small person between two overwhelming and threatening forms.
    It is a psychological illustration of the feeling of threat

    A drawing about psychology, paranoia, neurosis, neurotic thoughts, looming danger
    This drawing is mostly a sketch drawn with a ballpoint pen. It’s been added to in Photoshop, especially in the sky.
    Created: 2011
    Cartoon reference number: a388

  • The fox knows many things but the hedgehog knows one big thing

    the fox knows many things - cartoon

    The fox knows many things but the hedgehog knows one big thing.
    Cartoon or book illustration

    The saying is attributed to the ancient Greek poet Archilochus
    The phrase was adapted by the philosopher Isaiah Berlin for his essay “The Hedgehog and the Fox”.
    An image about ways of thinking, personality types, thought processes, fables, psychology.
    Cartoon drawn: 2012
    Cartoon reference number: a366

  • Life coach cartoon – wise sayings about life

    wellbeing life coach cartoon

    Wise sayings cartoon: just because there’s a bridge you don’t have to cross it
    One of a series of “Mrs Walton, life coach and spiritual adviser” cartoons.

     

    A joke about the current fashion for so called life coaches and spiritual advisers.
    Here the life coach is just an ordinary, stereotypical middle aged housewife rather than an authoritative guru-like figure.

     

    The caption of the cartoon reads “Just because there’s a bridge doesn’t mean you have to cross it”.
    Its meaning is that you shouldn’t necessarily take the route that seems the most obvious or the most natural.
    Bridges are routes across obstacles, but if the obstacle isn’t actually in your way, don’t follow the urge to cross it (without asking why you need to).

    The cartoon is partly about the way that spiritual gurus and similar people often dress mundane and obvious common sense observations up as pseudospiritual and pseudo-profound utterances. However the sayings are sometimes true (as here).

    A cartoon about gurus, idioms.

    Cartoon reference number: a346

  • Thinking, Fast and Slow – a tortoise and hare Cartoon

    tortoise and hare thinking fast and slow cartoon

    Thinking, Fast and Slow.
    Tortoise and Hare Cartoon

    A cartoon of the tortoise and hare from Aesop’s fables.
    The hare is reading the book Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

    Daniel Kahneman’s book, Thinking, Fast and Slow, is about the theory that the cognitive functions of the brain operate in two distinct systems, one that operates impulsively and on reflect and one that operates on a more thoughtful and considered level. Both are necessary for survival, with the impulsive system making the snap decisions that are needed to keep you out of trouble.
    In my cartoon the tortoise (representing the fast, impulsive part of the brain) is sitting on the back of the tortoise, with the implication that it’s trying to be a bit less impulsive and a bit more thoughtful.

    A cartoon about psychology, evolutionary psychology, the mind, fables.

    Cartoon reference number: a344

  • Did life come to earth from outer space?

    earth as egg with sperm from outer space - illustration

    Illustration: did life come to earth from outer space?

    A cartoon or illustration showing the earth in space, with sperm approaching the earth

    The concept that life was planted on earth by super-intelligent extraterrestrials, a concept known as directed panspermia (popularised by the question, Was God an Astronaut? as written about by Erich von Däniken, amongst others)has been revived recently with the film Prometheus by Ridley Scott, and will no doubt be aired again when the sequel is released.

    Cartoon reference number: a340

  • Illustration of an eye with a tiny person inside it looking out. A homunculus?

    person looking out through an eye

    An illustration of a person looking out through an eye
    Illustration of an eye, with a tiny person inside it looking out

    Illustration: looking through someone else’s eyes.
    An eye with a face looking out through the pupil as though it’s a window or the entrance of a dark cave.

    In this image the eye is a window with someone looking out through it. It may have something to do with the saying “The eyes are the windows to the soul”. Or maybe not.
    It’s as though there’s a tiny person living inside the person’s eye, or maybe inside their head. This is related to the homunculus argument (homunculus: Latin for “little man”), which is a philosophical concept that imagines that there is a tiny person inside the head monitoring the activity of the person whose head it’s in.
    Homunculus arguments are used in psychology and the philosophy of mind to detect where theories of mind fail or are incomplete, usually betrayed by the recursive nature of the concept under examination (where a problem isn’t resolved but is simply repeated at one step removed, as in “Who’s watching the watcher?” or “Is there a homunculus inside the head of a homunculus?”.
    Cartoon reference number: a339

  • Philosophy cartoon – why do we like sunsets?

    Philosophy cartoons - aesthetic values

    Cartoon – why do we like sunsets?

    Cartoon about evolutionary psychology

    Why do we find sunsets spiritually uplifting?
    A cartoon about the fact that sensory stimuli that are of a greater than average intensity often evoke profound emotions. This applies to such things as sunsets and flowers, and is also a factor in our appreciation of the arts, from music to cinema. A comment on spirituality and pseudo-spirituallity (I’m a believer in pseudospirituality myself).
    This cartoon first appeared in BBC Knowledge magazine.

    Cartoon reference number: a333
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  • Questioning authority – illustration

    questioning authority cartoon

    Questioning authority – cartoon.
    A student questioning the authority of a lecturer

    Cartoon showing a lecture on politics authority

    A joke about authority, questioning, totalitarianism, anarchy, anarchism, authority figures

    The joke is that the student is questioning the authority of a lecturer who is telling the audience to question authority.
    This illustration first appeared in BBC Knowledge magazine.

    Cartoon reference number: a332

  • Michelangelo – Hand of God parody. Did life come from outer space?

    leonardo hand from ufo - cartoon

    Michelangelo – Hand of God cartoon
    Sistine Chapel Creation of Man parody

    Parody of Michelangelo’s Hand of God painting in the Sistine Chapel, being used to illustrate the concept that live on earth could have been deliberately brought to earth from outer space by aliens.

    The cartoon could be linked to theories such as the ones offered in books such as Erich von Daniken’s “Chariots of the Gods”, although personally I’d rather be disassociated with such theories (if that’s what such sensationalist speculation can be called).

    The concept of Was God an Astronaut? has been revived recently with the film Prometheus by Ridley Scott, and will no doubt be aired again when the sequel is released.

    The theory that life may have been planted on Earth billions of years ago by an advanced alien civilization is sometimes known as directed panspermia. This theory was (mischievously?) proposed by Francis Crick (of dna fame) together with biologist Leslie Orgel in 1971. Directed panspermia is sometimes evoked to solve a particular problem in the science of life – science’s current inability to explain life’s origin. Of course the theory simply puts off the explanation, very much in the way that religions do – hence my use of Michelangelo’s hand of God creating Adam in the cartoon.

    Cartoon reference number: a325

  • Artificial intelligence illustration

    thinking robot cartoon

    Artificial intelligence or artificial sentience cartoon

    Illustration showing a robot thinking.
    The robot’s thoughts are in the form of a printed circuit

    The robot in the illustration is based on a toy tin robot.

    A cartoon about sentience, sentient computers, artificial intelligence and the Turing test.

    Cartoon reference number: a300

  • Philosophy logo

    philosophy logo

    Philosophy logo

    This is a typographical logo that I designed as part of my stock of philosophy cartoons.
    The typography incorporates a letter ‘P’ in the word philosophy that is also a question mark.
    The cartoons are published in Philosophy Now magazine.

    Ref: a657

  • Philosophy Cartoon

    Existentialism - philosophy cartoons

    Existentialist philosophy cartoon: a child’s introduction to existentialism

    A philosophy cartoon showing a child reading a book titled “My First Book of Existentialism”.
    The philosophical theory of existentialism is usually associated with Jean Paul Sartre.

    The humour in the illustration is that an elementary book at the level illustrated in the cartoon is far too basic to explain the theory underlying existentialism (or any other philosophical theory for that matter).
    The cartoon also hints at the possibility that some philosophical concepts are more basic than is sometimes thought – and that some philosophies are probably flawed due to fundamental errors due to the limitations of the human brain to grasp concepts.
    A cartoon about philosophy, existentialism, existentialist philosophy, philosophical theory.
    Cartoon reference number: a131

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  • Cartoon – awareness of death always lurking in the corner of our thoughts

    Cartoon - awareness of death always there in the corner of our thoughts

    Cartoon showing how the thought of death is always lurking in the back of your thoughts (unless you’re still young that is)

    An illustration illustrating the face of death, symbolised by a skull, peeking round the edge of someone’s thoughts, because it’s always there somewhere, making its presence known.

    A cartoon about mortality, intimations of mortality, mid-life crisis, life and death, existence, lifespan, philosophy, the grim reaper, awareness of death.
    Cartoon reference number: a130
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