Editing 397: Unscientific

{{comic
| number    = 397
| date      = March 17, 2008
| title     = Unscientific
| image     = unscientific.png
| titletext = Last week, we busted the myth that electroweak gauge symmetry is broken by the Higgs mechanism. We'll also examine the existence of God and whether true love exists.
}}

==Explanation==
In the first and second frames, [[Megan]] can be seen accusing ''{{w|MythBusters}}'' of not actually "doing science" because of its lack of {{w|Rigour|rigor}} - a debate beyond the scope of this Wiki. The {{w|zombie}} of deceased physicist, {{w|Richard Feynman}}, comes to explain to [[Megan]] that she has failed to recognize the purpose of ''MythBusters''. He explains that ''MythBusters''<nowiki>'</nowiki> value is getting people to accept and understand the importance of experimentation in the scientific method, and that more complex lessons (such as on rigor) would be wasted on people who don't understand those basics.

In the last frame, [[Cueball]] attempts to save himself and [[Megan]] from zombie Feynman by implying that physicists, being extremely intelligent, would have more desirable brains. Also, in a science lab, the number of brains available would be higher than just two. Feynman's closing remark implies that {{w|String theory|string theorists}} have no brains; the joke being that string theorists are presumably less intelligent than Cueball and Megan, who were merely watching television prior to being attacked, and probably also a pun on {{w|brane}}s. For another instance of [[Randall]] knocking string theorists, see [[171: String Theory]]. This notion fits appropriately with Feynman's description of the core of science. Moreover, Feynman's own career involved applying physics to real world applications (such as for the {{w|Manhattan Project}}), whereas the work of string theorists is theoretical and untested.

The title text starts by rebounding against the complaint of validity as science by purportedly tackling a ''really'' big scientific inquiry. Then he veers away into two far more esoteric proposed fields of study, of which at least one is not even determinable by the scientific method, probably both.

The ''MythBusters'' episode being watched is likely {{w|MythBusters_(2008_season)#Episode_109_–_"Ninjas_2"|Episode 109 – "Ninjas 2"}}, which was the second episode in which the MythBusters attempted to catch an arrow mid-flight. The voice from the television is likely that of {{w|List_of_MythBusters_cast_members#Robert_Lee|Robert Lee}}, who provided the narration for ''MythBusters''. 

Zombies are a [[:Category:Zombies|recurring theme]] in xkcd, particularly zombie scientists, which has also occurred twice after this comic with {{w|Paul Erdős}} in [[599: Apocalypse]] and {{w|Marie Curie}} in [[896: Marie Curie]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan are sitting on a coach, watching Mythbusters.]
:TV: Can a ninja catch an arrow? On this episode, we'll find out!
:Cueball: Mmm, science.
:Megan: Hey, Mythbusters is entertaining, but it's not science.

:Zombie Feynman: ''BRAAAAAIIINNS''...
:Cueball: Zombie Feynman!
:Zombie Feynman: You got a problem with Mythbusters?
:Megan: They fail at basic rigor!

:Zombie Feynman: "Ideas are tested by experiment." That is the <u>core</u> of science. Everything else is bookkeeping.

:Zombie Feynman: By teaching people to hold their beliefs up to experiment, ''Mythbusters'' is doing more to drag humanity out of the unscientific darkness than a thousand lessons in rigor. Show them some love.

:Zombie Feynman: Anyway, back to zombie stuff. I hunger for ''BRAAAAAIIINNS!''
:Cueball: Uh, try the physics lab next door.
:Zombie Feynman: I said <u>brains</u>. All they've got are string theorists.

{{comic discussion}}
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[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
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