Saturday 2 April 2011

Profoundly Philosophical Joke

This joke was told to me by an Irishman, late in the evening in a seedy pub in Edinburgh.  For some reason, it raises all sorts of deep questions about language, Wittgenstein, the meaning of meaning: none of which I can articulate. 

A group of cavemen are sitting around their fire.  They're hungry.  Just then, the hunter comes in, carrying a strange animal that nobody has seen before. 

After they've roasted and eaten it, they fall to debating what to call this new-found creature.  All sorts of suggestions are bandied around, until the hunter loses his patience and says:

"It's called a rabbit!"

The company mutter and consider this suggestion.  Finally one of them breaks, and asks:

"So, why's it called a rabbit, then?"

The hunter raises his eyes and stares disdainfully at the questioner.

"Because it looks like a fucking rabbit!"

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