Xkcd's cartoon is, of course, a gently sardonic poke at a reductionist point of view that is a lot less profound than it appears. It would not be useful, for ex

Xkcd's cartoon is, of course, a gently sardonic poke at a reductionist point of view that is a lot less profound than it appears. It would not be useful, for example, to try to reduce the theory of evolution to physics. On the other hand, I completely take your point that the ancient Greek philosophers showed us an alternative to the tyranny of doctrinaire and theological rule.