How scientifically accurate is Rick and Morty?

How scientifically accurate is Rick and Morty?

>cartoon thread

a significant proportion of great mathematicians share personality traits with Rick.

I am no great scientist, but when I teach I like to imagine that I am Rick and my students are my Morty's

hey reddit

Practically not at all.

On a first order abstraction, the science is cartoony magic bullshit. Occasionally scientific concepts will be touched on (see: the quantum episode), but there's nothing of any substance there.

On a second order abstraction, we can look at the process and structure behind the in universe "science". This too, is a jumble of nonsense. Processes are inconsistent, and usually only apply when it's convenient for the show. Additionally, notice that Rick never makes any discoveries on screen. Rather, he takes advantage of obscure facts that only he seems privy too. There's almost no process of trial and error. Rick is not a scientist, but an unusually knowledgeable engineer.

On a third order abstraction, we begin to see the structure of how people percieve scientists, and partially why the show is successful. At this level, we see the paradigm through which society view great scientists and researchers. If you have a PhD, your family probably sees you as Rick is portrayed: always 3 steps ahead of everyone, and able to solve issues with just one obscure piece of seemingly irrelevant trivia. There may be some resentment over always having your "head in the clouds", and not focusing on what other people want you to. Contrary to what seems to think, Rick doesn't represent what most great minds are like, just what most great minds wish they could act like to the average person who tries to control them.

Which brings us to the 4th order abstraction, which is the viewpoint of the audoence, and how it relates to the show. We live in a world so complex that no one person can understand all the things going on in it anymore. This is true for great minds, and even more so for small minds. Experts bombard people with information, saying we need to do X to optimize Y, with justification being either impenetrably byzantine, or not forthcoming at all. The system then optimizes for Y, all while leaving you and everyone you know to eat shit.

This results in a cynicism born of abandonment. The world leaves behind any who can't keep up, and many CAN'T keep up. In Rick and Morty this is expressed by a sort of hedonistic libertarianism, in which everyone just tries to get the best shit for themselves, fuck the other people. This is amplified by the incoherence of the universe of the show, which only Rick seems to be able to understand. Consider the first commercials episode, in which Rick uses an interdimensional cablebox to idly pass an afternoon and the other family members try to feed their egos. There's no further exploration of the capabilities or implications, it simply is, "therefore" the logic of the show goes "we should derive whatever pleasure we can from it".

Also worth considering is the character of Morty, the only character who consistently displays empathy. This is portrayed as being naive, and possibly really dumb, partially due to the way in which Morty actually implements it, but don't confuse this with an indictment on Morty. Within the filter of the show, Morty is dumb. Therefore, he behaves in stupid ways, one of which is by attempting to care for others. The takeaway is not only that trying to follow one's empathetic impulses is dumb, but more to the point, if Morty weren't dumb he wouldn't act on empathy at ALL.

All of this is quite cold and perhaps even a bit revolting, but it perfectly captures a zeitgeist welling up in our world right now. We're told that we need to follow any number of baffling behaviors by people who are ostensibly smarter than we are. After complying, we're left to dry. This is repeated again and again in every sector of our lives, and by every authority figure we meet, whether that be local governmenr, federal government, businesses, or even parents and relatives.

Repeat this process enough times, and is it any surprise that we find ourselves in the situation that we do? If you spend a person's lifetime conditioning them to expect others to not show empathy, and to take advantage of empathy shown, then ask them to show empathy for l, say, refugees, or niggers, or immigrants, or trannies, or whoever, is it really so shocking that a fierce backlash is produced, where millions of people, all rise up as a tidal wave and with a low, roaring thunder slap the sands with a single, all piercing 'NO"?

This feeling, of the world being actively hostile to our best instincts and catering to our worst ones, of being utterly incomprehensible by use of our senses except by the greatest of intelligences, of being so completely HOSTILE to what we want the world to look like resonates deeply with many for a reason. This beating down of the human spirit, until only the instinct to consume self-perpetuate is allowed to remain is the true struggle of modernity, and Rick and Morty perfectly captures that, oftentimes poignantly. This is the true strength of Rick and Morty.

But the science is dogshit. Go read a book instead you dumb nigger.

Corn niblets and dead weatherman are the tv static of interdimensional travel.

Teaching middle school math seems right up your alley.

Nice analysis senpai, you hit the nail on the head

user, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.
take it to Veeky Forums and Veeky Forums as well, they'll fucking love it.